Backdoor politics: Chautala-Thakur bonhomie spared BJP's blushes in Haryana

Chautala visited Thakur's residence on the evening of vote counting on Thursday to wish him on his birthday

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faced criticism for taking support from Haryana Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda, an accused in criminal cases, it was the friendship between Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) chief Dushyant Chautala (pictured) and Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur that helped it save some blushes. Chautala and Thakur are known to be good friends. He visited Thakur’s residence on the evening of vote counting on Thursday to wish him on his birthday. It was by then apparent that the BJP was set to fall short of a majority. According to sources, the discussion veered towards