New Delhi: Haryana BJP president and influential OBC leader Nayab Singh Saini was picked as the state’s next chief minister Tuesday, hours after Manohar Lal Khattar and his ministers resigned in the aftermath of a split with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) over seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP’s ability to form the next government was never in question as it has 41 MLAs in the 90-member House, the support of six Independents and also that of the Haryana Lokhit Party’s sole legislator Gopal Kanda.
Saini, who is an MP from Kurukshetra, was unanimously elected as the leader of the state BJP legislature group and is likely to be sworn in later in the day. He was appointed the party’s state chief in October last year.
According to reports, Saini was elected after a meeting of the legislative party in which lawmakers allegedly said they wanted a new face ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Taking to microblogging site X, Saini thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, as well as all MLAs who had chosen him.
The alliance between the BJP and Dushyant Chautala’s JJP broke Tuesday over the national party’s refusal to cede any of the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats to its partner. Dushyant was the deputy chief minister in the previous government, and brought to the table 10 MLAs along with himself.
The BJP’s intent became more clear in a meeting between BJP chief J.P. Nadda and Dushyant Monday, which lasted just half an hour, according to a senior JJP leader.
After this, Khattar and his Cabinet resigned enmasse on Tuesday, and the party is now poised to form a new government.