The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Wednesday announced an alliance in Haryana for the Parliament and state Assembly polls in 2019 in order to keep Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress out of power.

This was declared on Wednesday in a joint Press conference by Leader of the Opposition in Haryana Abhay Singh Chautala and Dr Meghraj Singh, in-charge of the affairs of BSP of the states of the region consisting of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand.

Abhay Singh Chautala said that the alliance had agreed upon the broad contours and it was decided to project BJP chief Mayawati as the prime ministerial candidate. Both the parties had agreed that the country needed to be rid of both the BJP and the Congress.

While the Congress has been guilty of massive corruption, the BJP had left no stone unturned to lead the country towards violent inter-community and inter-communal conflicts and polarise the society.

“Therefore, it was imperative that all those forces representing the downtrodden, suppressed, farming and the labouring classes joined hands to oust and keep them away from power,” Chautala said.

He also claimed that with the INLD and BSP coming together, foundation had been laid for the Third Front in the country. He said that the two parties were determined to champion the cause of the Dalits, farmers and the labouring classes and thereby create a new Haryana.

Similarly, Dr Meghraj Singh also reiterated the resolve of the two parties to give a credible alternative to the nation and keep BJP and Congress out of power in Haryana.

He said, the issue of the formula to share seats for the Parliament and State Assembly seats has been left open for the moment with both the leaders saying that when the time would come they would amicably settle it with a spirit of mutual accommodation.

Dr Meghraj Singh also informed that BSP’s lone legislator in the current Haryana Assembly, Tek Chand Sharma had been suspended from the party since the workers in his constituency were dissatisfied with his functioning as it fell much short of their expectations. Both the leaders also resolved that the BSP will lend its wholehearted support to the Jail Bharo agitation of the INLD that is to begin from coming 1 May.