10 ministers take oath, 1 from JJP

CHANDIGARH: Ten legislators were sworn in as ministers in the Haryana cabinet on Thursday, close to three weeks after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), backed by the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) , formed a government in the state.

Khattar and Chautala took oath as the chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively on October 27 but no other member was sworn in over the next 17 days. With the induction of six cabinet-rank and four ministers of state, the cabinet consists of 12 ministers, leaving room for the inclusion of one more. According to the Constitution, the strength of the state council of ministers cannot be more than 15% of the assembly strength. Successive governments in Haryana, which has a 90-member assembly, have been taking the liberty to induct 14 ministers.

Of the 10 new ministers, eight are from the BJP, one JJP and one an independent.

Six-time legislator Anil Vij, former Speaker Kanwar Pal Gujjar, BJP legislators Mool Chand Sharma, Jai Parkash Dalal, Banwari Lal and former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala’s estranged brother Ranjit Singh, who won as an Independent,

took oath as state cabinet ministers. The new ministers of state are BJP’S Om Prakash Yadav, Kamlesh Dhanda, Sandeep Singh and JJP’S Anoop Dhanak. “This government will perform well. We will provide a stable government. We will undertake all-round development of the state,” Vij , who served as a minister in the Khattar government’s last tenure, said.

The BJP won 40 out of the 90 seats in the recentlt held Haryana state elections, six short of a majority . The Congress won 31 seats, and the Jannayak Janta Party 10 seats.