JJP MLA Devender Singh Babli resigns ahead of Haryana assembly polls

Fatehabad (Haryana) [India], August 17 (ANI): In what is seen as a major blow to the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) ahead of the Haryana Assembly Polls scheduled for October 1, Devender Singh Babli, MLA from Tohana, resigned from the party on Saturday.
Commenting on his decision, Babli said, "I have sent my resignation to national president Ajay Singh Chautala, requesting to be relieved of all party responsibilities. We worked for five years, but today the situation is different. I contested my first election as an independent candidate and have fulfilled people's expectations through my work. We have consistently encouraged athletes and students, not just because of the upcoming elections. We have moved from self-serving politics to the politics of service."
He added that the people of Tohana and his supporters would determine his next course of action.
The Haryana Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on October 1, as announced by Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday. The counting of votes for both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir will take place on October 4.
Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, Dushyant Chautala, welcomed the announcement of the assembly elections and expressed confidence that the JJP is fully prepared to contest all 90 assembly seats.
"We welcome this. Our party is ready for all the 90 seats. All the workers of the party will fight strongly for the development of Haryana. The new CM (Nayab Singh Saini) only made announcements in the last 74 days which has taken the state backwards. The public will take accountability; they have seen it all. People have made up their minds," Chautala said.
The last day to file nominations in Haryana will be September 12, with the scrutiny of nominations on September 13. The last date for the withdrawal of candidacies is September 16.
The term of the current Haryana government will end on November 3, 2024, and elections will take place in 90 legislative assembly constituencies across the state.
After the 2019 elections, the BJP, with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, formed a coalition government with the JJP, which had won 10 seats, while the Congress secured 31 seats. The BJP-JJP alliance broke earlier this year.
In 2024, Haryana is likely to witness a four-way contest between the BJP, Congress, JJP, and AAP. (ANI)