Integral Part of Team Khattar, Anil Vij Stays Out Of New Haryana Cabinet

Anil Vij, the most powerful and best-known ministers of Haryana's ML Khattar government, is out for good from the cabinet of Nayab Singh Saini. The former minister, whose name was not on the first list of five ministers who took oath last week, did not feature in the second list either. Eight more ministers took oath today, completing the cabinet of 14 including the Chief Minister.

Mr Vij was hugely upset after Mr Saini was picked to replace Mr Khattar.  As the seniormost minister in Mr Khattar's cabinet, and the seniormost leader of the party in the state, he had hoped that he would be the replacement for Mr Khattar..

The shock omission came amid a buzz that he would be appointed one of the deputies of Chief Minister Saini. Even Mr Khattar had said Mr Vij's name was on the list of ministers to be inducted into the new cabinet.

Sources said Mr Vij was visibly angry when Mr Saini was named for the post at the legislature party meeting and left it halfway. It all happened in front of the party's central observers -- Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda and the party's National General Secretary, Tarun Chugh.

Later, he skipped Mr Saini's oath ceremony as well, but appeared nonchalant when asked about it. "I am a bhakt of the BJP; situations may change but I will continue to work for the party," he had told reporters.

Mr Vij, a frontrunner for the top post even in 2014 had got bypassed and the Central leadership had picked Mr Khattar, known to be close to Union home minister and the BJP's chief strategist Amit Shah (Or Modi).