New Delhi: With the Haryana assembly heading for a fractured mandate, Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda, alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to pressurise the independent candidates who are willing to go with the Congress party.

His allegation comes amid a neck-and-neck competition between BJP and Congress, and when both the parties are attempting to gain support of the Jannayak Janata Party which is now in the role of kingmaker.

DS Hooda, who is the son of senior Congress leader and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, appealed the Election Commission to take note of the situation.

He said that BJP is sending helicopters and is threatening the independent candidates.

“BJP is trying to pressurize independent candidates as most of them want to join us. It can't be accepted in democracy.Independent candidates should be able to freely choose the party whom they wish to support.I want to appeal to EC about it through media,” he said.

“Today, it’s clear that people’s mandate is to throw off Khattar’s government. I want to ask Dushyant Chautala (JJP), independent candidates and other parties to come together and form coalition government in Haryana so that people’s mandate can be respected,” he added.

Earlier, Bhupinder Singh Hooda called on the opposition parties to form government. He said that people have given a BJP-opposing mandate, while hinting at allying with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is in the role of kingmaker in the state.

'People have voted against BJP', he said. “All the opposition parties should come together and form a government together. Interests of all the parties will be respected,” he further added.