Nayab Saini seeks Haryana trust vote as BJP, Dushyant Chautala’s JJP break up
Haryana’s new Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has said he has sent a letter of support of 48 MLAs to Governor Bandaru Dattatreya.
And asked him to convene an assembly session on Wednesday so that his BJP government can prove its majority in the House. The development came after Saini took oath as the Chief Minister on Tuesday following the surprise resignation of Manohar Lal Khattar and his cabinet ministers from their respective posts, amid signs that the BJP’s alliance with Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) has ended. It also came amid differences between the two parties over seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
HARYANA POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: THE LATEST
Saini, the 54-year-old OBC leader and Haryana’s BJP chief, was administered the oath by Governor Dattatreya at the oath-taking ceremony held at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh. Five MLAs — four from the BJP and one independent — were also sworn in as ministers.
In the 90-member state assembly, the BJP has 41 members, and it also enjoys the support of six of the seven independents as well as of lone Haryana Lokhit Party MLA Gopal Kanda. The JJP has 10 MLAs in the House. The main opposition Congress has 30 MLAs while the Indian National Lok Dal has one.
Meanwhile, former home minister and six-term MLA from Ambala Cantt, Anil Vij, has not found a place in the new Cabinet and was not present at Saini’s oath-taking ceremony. Speaking about his absence, Khattar said Vij “gets upset easily, but becomes normal later”. He also said Vij would have taken oath if he was present at the event.
Khattar hinted that he may be fielded by the saffron party in the coming Lok Sabha polls, whose dates are yet to be announced. There are speculations that Khattar may be asked to contest from Karnal Lok Sabha seat. Khattar also said he had come to know that the JJP has decided to go solo in the Lok Sabha polls.
Khattar and all 13 other members of the BJP-led council of ministers submitted their resignations to the governor as a team of the party’s central observers arrived in Chandigarh to take stock of the situation. Haryana is scheduled to vote in assembly polls later this year.
Earlier, the JJP announced it will fight on all 10 Lok Sabha seats and 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana. When asked whether its alliance with the BJP will continue, JJP spokesperson Arvind Bharadwaj said an official statement would be issued soon.
The BJP and the JJP formed a post-poll alliance in 2019 after the saffron party did not get a majority and won 40 seats. The JJP, which won 10 seats, joined hands with the BJP to form a coalition government.
Dushyant Chautala’s uncle and lone Indian National Lok Dal MLA Abhay Chautala took a dig at his nephew after the sudden political developments in Haryana.
“Gaddari ho jiski buniyad, anjam-e-minaar hona hi tha barbaad (A tower built on the foundation of betrayal is bound to be destroyed),” Abhay Chautala wrote on X.
Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claimed that the BJP and JJP had accepted defeat even before the elections by breaking the alliance and changing the chief minister. He demanded that assembly polls be held soon and called for President’s Rule in the state.
Congress leader Kumari Selja said that “it is time for change” and accused the BJP of betraying the people of the country. “The Congress will get them justice,” she said.