(Image source from: Twitter.com/NayabSainiBJP)
Newly appointed Chief Minister of Haryana, Nayab Saini, successfully passed a floor test to demonstrate that the BJP still held a majority in the assembly, despite breaking ties with Dushyant Chautala's JJP. Within the past 48 hours, there has been a rapid change of government in Haryana. On Tuesday, Manohar Lal Khattar, a senior BJP leader, along with the entire cabinet (including three members from the JJP), resigned. The primary reason for the dissolution of Khattar's government was the failure of the BJP-JJP alliance, which was formed after the 2019 Assembly election. Although the BJP emerged as the largest party, they fell short of an outright majority by six seats. Following the unexpected resignation, Mr. Saini was selected as the new chief minister.
In the 90-member state assembly, the BJP holds 41 seats and also enjoys the support of six out of seven independent members, as well as the lone Haryana Lokhit Party MLA, Gopal Kanda. The JJP holds 10 seats in the assembly. The main opposition party, Congress, has 30 MLAs, while the Indian National Lok Dal has one. Prior to the special assembly session, the BJP conducted a legislative party meeting at 10 am, which was attended by Khattar and other BJP MLAs. Anil Vij, a minister and six-term MLA from Ambala Cantt, was not included in the new Cabinet and was absent from Saini's oath-taking ceremony. Khattar explained that Vij easily gets upset but eventually returns to normal. Khattar also mentioned that Vij would have taken the oath if he had been present at the event.
आपके द्वारा दी गई शुभकामनाओं के लिए आभार माननीय प्रभारी जी https://t.co/OoUiStjkZg
— Nayab Saini (मोदी का परिवार) (@NayabSainiBJP) March 12, 2024
During the ceremony at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh, Saini, a 54-year-old OBC leader and Haryana's BJP chief, was administered the oath by Governor Dattatreya. Additionally, five MLAs, four from the BJP and one independent, were sworn in as ministers. Khattar hinted that Saini may be chosen as a candidate by the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, which have yet to be scheduled. There are speculations that Khattar himself may be asked to run for the Karnal Lok Sabha seat. Earlier, the JJP announced their intention to compete in all 10 Lok Sabha seats and 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana. When asked about the continuation of their alliance with the BJP, JJP spokesperson Arvind Bharadwaj stated that an official statement would be released soon. In 2019, after the saffron party won 40 seats and failed to secure a majority, the BJP and the JJP formed a post-poll alliance. Later this year, the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections will witness a coalition government formation as the BJP aligns with a party that secured 10 seats.
