BJP seals Haryana deal, JJP gets deputy CM post
ML Khattar to meet governor today to stake his claim for govt formation
NEWDELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reached an agreement on Friday night to form a coalition government in Haryana with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) of Dushyant Chautala – who emerged as a major swing force in the October 21 assembly elections – and cobbled up the support of independent legislators and smaller formations to cement a second term in office.
A day after emerging as the single largest party in the state assembly, but falling short of a simple majority, incumbent chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is now comfortably poised for a second stint and Chautala seemingly set for the post of deputy CM.
The BJP-JJP pact was announced after Chautala met BJP president Amit Shah and working president JP Nadda in New Delhi at the end of a day of fast-moving political developments after the ruling party ended up with 40 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly, six seats short of a simple majority. The fledgling JJP won 10 seats, and its support would assure the government of a certain degree of stability.
“It was necessary for the BJP and the JJP to come together to give the state a stable government,” Chautala, seated alongside the BJP leaders at a 9.30pm news briefing, said. “Our party decided that for the betterment of the state, it is important to have a stable government.”
The 31-year-old Chautala, who formed the JJP after splitting from the INLD, has emerged as a force to reckon with.
Minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur first arrived at the residence of Chautala and took him along in his vehicle to Shah’s residence. There, the JJP chief met Shah and other leaders of the BJP, including Khattar.
“Accepting the mandate by the people of Haryana, the leaders of both parties have decided that the BJP and JJP will form the government together in Haryana. The chief minister will be from the BJP and the deputy CM from the JJP,” the BJP chief said. “The independent MLAS have also extended their support to us.”
Khattar, who is expected to be elected as the party’s legislative leader on Saturday, said that he would meet the Haryana governor the same day to stake his claim for government formation.
Earlier in the day, Chautala had kept his options open for aligning either with the Congress or BJP, insisting that neither party is “untouchable.” “We haven’t spoken to anyone... the key still lies with the JJP for a stable government in Haryana,” Chautala said.
The focus of Haryana politics shifted on Friday to Delhi, where the ruling party was quick to tap all possible sources of support. There are seven independents in the assembly, in which the INLD has one seat; and Gopal Kanda, a controversial leader accused of abetting the suicide of a woman who accused him of harassment, is the sole representative of his party, the Haryana Lokhit Party.
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It was necessary for the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Jannayak Janta Party to come together to give the state a stable government. DUSHYANT CHAUTALA, JJP leader
NEWDELHI: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda tried everything to prevent Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) chief Dushyant Chautala from joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a last ditch attempt to woo Chautala, Hooda accepted all his demands, including 75% jobs for Haryana residents, a common minimum programme and respectable position in the alliance. However, he had made it clear that the Congress will not leave the chief minister’s post to its junior partner as it did not want a repeat of Karnataka model where the party gave the top post to the Janata Dal (Secular). However, the coalition government later collapsed after some legislators from both the parties resigned, paving the way for the BJP to form the government.
Hooda also urged the JJP with 10 legislators and seven independents to come together against the BJP.
“We are ready to have a CMP. As far as old age pension or 75% job reservation for Haryanvis is concerned, it is already provided in our manifesto. If he has other suggestions, we are open to that. Now, it is up to him,” Hooda told reporters after Chautala addressed a news conference in Delhi and made public his conditions for a tie-up with either the Congress or the BJP.
“Any party which agrees to the CMP in which we want 75% reservation in government jobs for Haryanvis and implementing Chaudhary Devi Lal’s idea of old
age pension, we will give our support to it,” he said.
But Hooda’s repeated pleas did not yield the desired results. The JJP joined hands with the BJP, which also managed to seek the support of the independents.
Hitting out at the alliance, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that “JJP and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) were and will always remain a B- team of the BJP”. Hooda, who arrived in
Delhi on Friday, held discussions with senior party leaders and his supporters throughout the day.
On Thursday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had telephonically congratulated him on the party’s good show in Haryana, according to a party leader familiar with the development. Contrary to the exit poll predictions, the Congress performed well and bagged 31 of 90 seats.
The party replaced state chief Ashok Tanwar, who remained at the helm for six years, with former Union minister Kumari Selja, and named Hooda as the head of the election management committee, on September 4 — six weeks before the October 21 polls.
So, the 72-year-old Hooda and 57-year-old Selja, got exactly 47 days to bring the Congress back in fight against a strong BJP and its popular chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Till then, the Congress was hit by massive infighting and its election machinery was completely missing from the ground.