Nayab Singh Saini to be Haryana's new Chief Minister after Manohar Khattar resigns

Haryana CM Manohar Khattar resigns: In one of the biggest political dramas of the year on Tuesday (March 12, 2024), Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his cabinet resigned after a split between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). The new Haryana CM may take an oath today (Tuesday). 

The swearing in ceremony of the new government will be held at 4 pm.

JJJ co-founder Dushyant Chautala, who was the deputy chief minister of Haryana, also resigned from his post today. He has reportedly sought time from Home Minister Amit Shah to meet him.

VIDEO | Manohar Lal Khattar (@mlkhattar) leaves from Governor's house in Chandigarh after resigning as Haryana CM. pic.twitter.com/51KJZqGcbl

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 12, 2024

JJP to split

JJP's meeting will start in New Delhi at 12:30. Dushyant Chautala, Naina Chautala, Anup Dhanak, some JJP MLAs left for Delhi and some reached Chandigarh. JJP's Devendra Babli, Ishwar Singh, Ramniwas, and Ramkumar Gautam have reached Chandigarh.

VIDEO | "Whatever is happening in Haryana is because of the people's pressure. The people of Haryana have already made up their mind for a change as every section of society is tired of them (BJP)," says Congress MP Deepender Hooda (@DeependerSHooda) on Manohar Lal Khattar's… pic.twitter.com/rzDDxRZaUK

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 12, 2024

Earlier, visuals showed Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar reaching Haryana Niwas along with a few senionr MLAs in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

After leaving Raj Bhavan senior BJP Leader Kanwar Pal Gujjar said, "CM and the cabinet ministers have resigned and the Governor has accepted the resignations."

On being asked who will be the next Chief Minister Gujjar said, " The CM will continue to be the CM."

The legislative meeting of the party is likely to be held later in the day in which 41 MLAs of BJP will be present.

Senior BJP leaders, including Tarun Chugh, Union minister Arjun Munda and BJP's Haryana in-charge Biplab Kumar Deb, will also attend the meeting.

The BJP leaders are also expected to meet the 5 independent MLAs and Gopal Kanda of the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) who are in support of the BJP government in Haryana.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP has 41 MLAs. It also enjoys the support of 5 independent MLAs and the HLP MLA Gopal Kanda.

Amid uncertainty over what exactly would happen next, there was also speculation in some quarters that Haryana BJP chief and Kurukshetra MP Nayab Saini may be appointed chief minister and Khattar may contest as the BJP's candidate from the Karnal Lok Sabha seat.

Khattar will remain chief minister, Kanwar Pal, who was education minister, told reporters outside Haryana Niwas after submitting his resignation. The BJP-JJD alliance was only for running the state government, he added in response to a question.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Kurukshetra MP, OBC leader and Haryana BJP Chief Nayab Singh Saini, will be Haryana's next Chief Minister.

Making the announcement after a meeting of the BJP legislators in Chandigarh, Haryana BJP MLA Krishan Lal Middha says, "Nayab Singh Saini to be next CM of Haryana. All people are now going to meet the Governor.

The BJP and its allies, 6 independent MLAs will now meet the governor. 

The new Chief Minister is expected to be sworn in later today. In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP has 41 MLAs. It also enjoys the support of 5 independent MLAs and the Haryana Lokhit Party MLA Gopal Kanda.

Karnal BJP MP Sanjay Bhatia said, "...It is the CM's right to choose his cabinet and he will do so in consultation with the party...We will win all 10 Lok Sabha seats of Haryana...

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won all 10 parliamentary seats while JJP, which had contested the elections in alliance with AAP, could not put up a fight on 7 seats it contested.

Kurukshetra MP Nayab Singh Saini, was appointed Haryana BJP state president in October last year.

Nayab Singh Saini won the Kurukshetra constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by more than 3.83 lakh votes over his nearest challenger, Nirmal Singh of the Indian National Congress (INC).

Saini, who was elected MLA for the first time in 2014 and has since served as a minister, is regarded as Manohar Lal Khattar's confidante. 

The Saini caste accounts for around 8 per cent of the Haryana population, with a substantial presence in pockets of Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Hisar, and Rewari districts which will have significant impact on Lok Sabha election.

Saini's involvement with the BJP began in 1996, when he joined the Haryana BJP's organisational structure, serving alongside the state general secretary until 2000. 

He rose through the ranks to become the district general secretary of the BJP Youth Wing in Ambala in 2002, followed by his appointment as district president in 2005.

Earlier, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday resigned from the state Chief Minister hours after the BJP alliance with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) broke. The JJP led by Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala had 10 MLAs in the Haryana Assembly. 

Manohar Lal Khattar submitted his resignation letter to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya. 

(With input from agencies)