A special Haryana assembly session convened on Wednesday as new Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini seeks to prove the majority of the new BJP government, a day after the saffron party broke ranks with its ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).
Saini, who took oath as the Chief Minister on Tuesday following the surprise resignation of Manohar Lal Khattar, sent a letter of support of 48 MLAs to Governor Bandaru Dattatreya.
The development came amid differences between the BJP and JJP, headed by Dushyant Chautala, over seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The JJP, headed by Dushyant Chautala, had issued a whip to 10 MLAs and asked them to abstain from voting in the floor test. Despite the whip, two JJP MLAs broke rank and arrived at the state assembly, India Today TV reported.
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.
The BJP held a legislative party meeting at 10 am ahead of the special assembly session. Khattar and other BJP MLAs had attended the crucial meeting.
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.
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.
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.
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. Assembly polls in Haryana are set to be held later this year.
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.
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.
