Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah, along with leader of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) Dushyant Chautala, on Friday evening announced that the two parties would be forming a government in Haryana together.
The Chief Minister will be from the BJP and the Deputy Chief Minister from the JJP.
The JJP’s support to the BJP allows the saffron party to cobble together more than adequate numbers to stake claim to form a government in the State.
Comfortable numbers
The Assembly poll results on Thursday had left the BJP six short of a majority. While eight victorious Independents have pledged support to the BJP, the 10 MLAs of the JJP have made the number situation most comfortable for the BJP.
It would also help the party avoid accepting the support of controversial HLP MLA Gopal Kanda, out on bail in a case related to the suicide of air stewardess Gitika Sharma.
“We respect the mandate given by the people of Haryana and have decided to come together to form the government,” said Mr. Shah, who returned early from a three-day trip to Gujarat to help seal the deal.
‘Stable government’
Mr. Chautala said the alliance hoped to provide a “stable and progressive” government in the State, acknowledging that the two parties may have tread different paths in the past.
Sources said the deal may include two Cabinet and one Minister of State berth for the JJP, and a Rajya Sabha seat going forward.
Senior sources in the party told The Hindu that contrary to the public claims made by BJP leaders, internal surveys for Haryana had not painted a rosy picture for the party’s prospects.
“Amit Shah was aware of this and he despatched at least 11 leaders of the party to designated 21 seats to micro manage polls, these were seats that were on the verge of being lost. He also asked Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur, Dushyant Chautala’s neighbour in Janpath in New Delhi to sound him out on possibilities of post poll support,” said the senior office-bearer.
Mr. Chautala told Mr. Thakur that he would wait for the results, and consult with his father, Ajay Chautala, currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail after being convicted in a teachers recruitment scam. He also completed the formality of a national executive meeting of his party on Friday afternoon and was authorised by that body to take decisions on support to the BJP on its behalf. The meeting to seal the deal happened at Mr. Shah’s residence where Mr. Chautala arrived in Mr Thakur’s car and accompanied by him.
Those close to Mr. Chautala said support to the BJP was important for the fledgling party to save it from poaching later on by either the BJP or the Congress. The BJP will be holding a legislative party meet of its Haryana MLAs on Saturday morning.
Earlier in the day, outgoing Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar left for New Delhi to meet the Independent candidates and party’s central leadership to discuss the permutations and combinations of forming the government.
Party sources said five Independent MLAs — Nayanpal Rawat, Sombir Sangwan, Dharampal Gonder, Rakesh Daulatabad and Randhir Golan — met Mr. Nadda and extended their support to the BJP. Controversial former minister Gopal Kanda (MLA from Sirsa) of the Haryana Lokhit Party and two other Independent MLAs — Balraj Kundu and Ranjit Singh — have already announced their support to the BJP.
