Haryana’s new chief minister to get majority today after major reshuffle in BJP

1. Last night, BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini, 54, took the oath in a swift ceremony in Chandigarh, hours after Mr Khattar and his cabinet ministers resigned Takes office as the new Chief Minister of Haryana.

2. Mr Saini has the support of 48 MLAs. “We have urged the governor to convene the assembly when we prove that we have majority in the House of Representatives,” Saini told reporters yesterday.

3. The BJP received the support of six independent MLAs, taking its number to 47, one more than the majority in the 90-member assembly. Five more JJP MLAs are expected to switch to the BJP.

4. The RSS and RSS are at loggerheads over seat-sharing in the state. While the BJP hopes to contest all 10 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP, which failed to win any seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, hopes to win at least two seats.

5. The major shakeup in the BJP comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in a few weeks and the assembly elections expected in October.

6. Earlier on Monday, senior BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar and the entire cabinet – including the BJP led by Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala (JJP) – resigned after meeting with the governor.

7. Sources said Khattar is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections, possibly from the Kurukshetra seat vacated by Saini.

8. The choice of Mr Saini – an influential Other Backward Class leader – also represents the BJP’s pre-election focus on caste and OBC equations in the states.

9. The JJP has now said it will contest all 10 seats alone. Mr Chautala is expected to announce details of the event at a party rally this afternoon.

10. “I assure you that following in the footsteps of Janayak Chaudhry Devi Lalji, I will always be committed to protecting the interests of Haryana and the people of Haryana. We will continue to work for Haryana for the social and economic security of the people of the state,” Mr. Chautala said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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