The BJP and JJP had fallen out over seat sharing in the state
As the BJP broke up with its Haryana ally Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) yesterday, Manohar Lal Khattar was replaced as Chief Minister by Nayab Saini. A floor test, which is mostly a formality, is underway in the Assembly.
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The BJP's Nayab Singh Saini, 54, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Haryana at a hastily-organised ceremony in Chandigarh last evening, hours after Mr Khattar resigned along with his cabinet.
Mr Saini claims the support of 48 MLAs. "We have urged the governor to convene the Assembly session when we will prove our majority on the floor of the House," Mr Saini told reporters yesterday.
The BJP has the support of seven Independent MLAs, taking its figure to 48 - two over the majority mark in the 90-member Assembly. Five MLAs of Dushyant Chautala's JJP are also expected to cross over to the BJP.
The BJP and JJP fell out over seat sharing in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. While the BJP wanted to contest all 10 Lok Sabha seats, the JJP, which failed to win any in the 2019 election, wanted at least two seats.
The big BJP's shake-up comes weeks before the Lok Sabha polls and also the Haryana election due in October.
On Monday, Manohar Lal Khattar, a veteran BJP leader, and the entire cabinet - including three members of Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala's JJP - stepped down after meeting the Governor.
Sources said Mr Khattar is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections, possibly from Kurukshetra, the seat Mr Saini is vacating.
The selection of Mr Saini - an influential Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader - also represents the BJP's focus on caste and OBC equations in each state before an election.
The JJP has now said it will contest all 10 seats on its own. Mr Chautala is expected to announce details of that campaign at a party rally this afternoon.
"I assure you that following the footsteps of Jannayak Chaudhary Devi Lal ji, I will always be dedicated to protecting the interests of Haryana and the people of Haryana. Our efforts for social and economic security of the people of Haryana will continue," Mr Chautala said in a post on X - earlier known as Twitter.
