In a big political development, the alliance between the BJP and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in Haryana came to an end on Monday, leading to the resignation of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar along with Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala and other cabinet ministers.
Also read: Nayab Singh Saini picked as the next Chief Minister of Haryana
Nayab Singh Saini was sworn as the new Chief Minister of the Haryana after the BJP, with 41 MLAs, managed support from 6 independents and another MLA Gopal Goyal Kanda, boosting its number to 48 which is two more that the majority mark of 46 in the Assembly.
Saini, the BJP MP from Kurukshetra and State party president met Governor Bandaru Dattatreya on Tuesday to formally stake claim to form the government in the State, with the central leadership deciding to replace his predecessor, Manohar Lal Khattar to beat anti-incumbency and CM-face fatigue about seven to eight months ahead of assembly elections which would be due in October this year.
New cabinet
Five MLAs –four from BJP, Kanwar Pal Gujjar, Jai Parkash Dalal, Moolchand Sharma and Banwari Lal and independent Ranjit Singh – took oath as ministers in the Haryana cabinet.
The appointment of young OBC leader Saini, who is close to Khattar, as the CM signals continuity in the BJP’s other than Jat-politics in the agrarian state despite the government facing farmers protest in Haryana and adjoining Punjab. BJP sources stated that the OBCs constitute 44 per cent of State population and their empowerment is in line with the party’s national politics. Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to the Modh-Ghanchi caste, one of many Teli sub-castes which figure in the OBC category list of Gujarat.
After becoming the CM, Saini thanked PM Modi, party president JP Nadda, Union HM Amit Shah and other senior leaders of the party for giving him this responsibility. “We will work for the development of the State. We have asked the Speaker to conduct the floor test tomorrow at around 11 am, in the Vidhan Sabha. We have informed the Governor about the support of 48 MLAs...”
‘Not a setback’
BJP leaders believe that parting ways with Dushyant Chautala-led JJP was not a setback but an outcome of sustained suggestion from the State party unit to central leadership to snap ties with the regional Jat-dominated party to “off-load baggage” owing to the assessment that he is unlikely to yield political dividend in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Rather, the party assesses that the JJP outside the NDA alliance will divide Jat votes for which there are many claimants from opposition parties.
“I consider it my good fortune and express my gratitude to every person of Haryana from the bottom of my heart. Your support and cooperation for the welfare of Haryana and public works have always been energising for me,” Chautala said in a post on X after his exit from the ruling alliance and government.
So far, JJP has not approached Congress to contest the 2019 elections. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge confirmed to businessline that the JJP has not approached them for elections. “We have only taken BJP leader into the party, Kharge remarked, hinting at joining of BJP’s Hisar Lok Sabha member Brijendra Singh on Sunday.
The BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the State in the previous elections in 2019 and the JJP became a NDA partner after the assembly polls held a few months later in the same year.
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The BJP also was against sharing seat with the Chautala’s party in the 2024 general elections.
Meanwhile, the party is likely to field Khattar for the Lok Sabha polls.