Independents will back us: BJP JJP won’t reveal its plan, says no one’s untouchable
COMEBACK Haryana likely to see Manohar Lal Khattar’s return, legislative party meet today
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday appeared to have clinched the support of a majority of MLAS in the Haryana Assembly as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar held deliberations with party leaders ahead of staking claim to form the next government.
The BJP legislative party will meet on Saturday to elect its leader, a formality as the party has already decided that Khattar will head the next government. Khattar said he has got letters of support from Independent MLAS expressing confidence that he will prove his majority in the floor of the House.
Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP general secretary Arun Singh will attend the meeting as central observers, party general secretary Anil Jain said. The party has the support of majority of MLAS, he said.
The INLD, which has one MLA, may also back it. Though Khattar is likely to meet governor on Saturday to stake claim, the o a t h- t a ki ng c e r e mony is expected to be held after Diwali. Eight Independent MLAS have extended their support to the BJP, with six of them meeting its working president J P Nadda.
The party has 40 MLAS in the 90-member Haryana Assembly.
A controversy has, however, erupted over MLA Gopal Kanda extending his support to the BJP.
Kanda, an accused in two abetment to suicide cases, is on a criminal trial and is currently out on bail. Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti also appealed to her party to not forget its morals, a suggestion that it should not be seeking his support for forming the government.
Meanwhile, the Congress is adopting a wait-and-watch approach and has kept its postpoll options open. Sources said the Congress is seeking to woo all other non-bjp parties and its leaders have appealed to them to come together in a bid to stop the BJP from retaining power in the state.
NEWDELHI: Asserting that neither the BJP or the Congress is untouchable for him, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala said on Friday that he will support any party which agrees with his organisation’s common minimum programme.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting of the JJP legislative party of ten MLAS, Chautala
said he had not spoken to either the BJP or the Congress yet.
“No one is untouchable for us. We will support whichever party agrees to implement our agenda as part of a common minimum programme, “Chautala said. He was elected leader of the JJP legislative party.
The BJP has already claimed the support of a majority of MLAS in the 90-member Haryana assembly, with a number of independent legislators extending their support to the party.
The BJP has won 40 seats followed by 31 of the Congress.