Haryana State BJP president and MP, Nayab Singh Saini, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Haryana after Manohar Lal and his Council of Ministers resigned on Tuesday as the strained ruling coalition of the BJP and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) broke apart, amid differences over seat-sharing for the general election.
The new Chief Minister inducted five MLAs, including an independent, into the Cabinet. Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office and secrecy to all of them. The MLAs include Kanwar Pal, Mool Chand, Banwari Lal, Jai Parkash Dalal — all from the BJP — and Ranjit Singh (Independent).
Mr. Saini is an Other Backward Class (OBC) leader, and by appointing him, it appears the BJP is attempting to firm up its hold and consolidate its position among the OBCs, who account for around 40% of the State’s population, ahead of the 2024 parliamentary and Assembly polls.
Notably, former Home Minister Anil Vij was conspicuously absent at the oath ceremony, triggering speculations about his being annoyed.
‘Ready for challenges’
Speaking after taking the oath, Mr. Saini said that with responsibilities came the challenges and he was ready to face them. “We will win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. Also, the BJP will win and form the next government in the State with a thumping majority,” he said.
Mr. Saini said they had the support of 48 MLAs and a letter regarding this had been submitted to the Governor. “We have urged the Governor to convene the Assembly tomorrow, where we will prove our majority on the floor of the House,” he said after assuming the charge and chairing the Cabinet meeting.
In the 90-member Assembly, the BJP has 41 MLAs and with six independents and the lone MLA of the Haryana Lokhit Party extending their support to the BJP, the government is comfortably placed. The majority mark is 46.
In a fast-paced development during the day, Mr. Lal, along with his 13 Cabinet members, resigned from their positions. They submitted their resignations to the Governor. Later, Mr. Saini, an MP from the Kurukshetra constituency, was unanimously elected as the leader of the State BJP legislature group, after which he met the Governor to stake claim to form the government. Mr. Saini was appointed State BJP president in October last year, replacing Om Prakash Dhankar.
Meanwhile, speaking on the reason behind the latest developments and the alliance with the JJP, former Chief Minister Mr. Manohar Lal said, “They [JJP] must have spoken to the Central leadership. The BJP had won all 10 seats, and to repeat it is our target and we will contest in all seats. There’s nothing official but have got the information that the JJP has decided to contest all the 10 Lok Sabha seats. Following this, decisions were taken accordingly.”
