Hours after Manohar Lal Khattar submitted his resignation as Haryana chief minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership elected OBC leader and party chief Nayab Singh Saini to takeover the reins of the state. Manohar Lal Khattar quitting the chief minister post was followed by the resignations of his Cabinet, including three members of Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janata Party (JPP). Deprived of support from JJP, the BJP leadership, supported by five Independent MLAs, met the Governor to stake claim to the government.
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. So staking claim to form the next government was not a herculean task for the BJP.
However, even though some senior BJP leaders maintained that they have extended their support to Manohar Lal Khattar who will again sworn in as the chief minister, the BJP leadership announced Nayab Singh Saini's name that will replace Khattar.
In fact, Manohar Lal Khattar himself had proposed Nayab Singh Saini’s name at the BJP Legislature Party meeting today.
According to the reports, the BJP leadership is deliberating fielding Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal Lok Sabha constituency in Haryana in the upcoming general elections. Also, this decision was in line with the BJP's policy of changing chief ministers after two terms. This is why Nayab Singh Saini was elected the chief minister as Manohar Lal Khattar resigned. The candidature to Karnal constituency has not been announced.
Nayab Singh Saini, a influential leader among the Other Backward Castes (OBCs), is an MP from Kurukshetra that he won by more than 3.83 lakh votes. Nayab Singh Saini was appointed Haryana BJP state president in October last year.
Nayab Singh Saini, regarded as Manohar Lal Khattar's confidante, was elected an MLA for the first time in the 2014 Assembly polls.
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.
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.
(With PTI inputs)
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.