The BJP’s tally in Haryana has been halved in this year’s Lok Sabha elections, following the clean sweep in 2019, but the party has reposed its faith in Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and declared that the Assembly elections later this year will be fought under his leadership. Mr Saini had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar, who had been the chief minister of the state since 2014, in March.

Home Minister Amit Shah also announced that the party will go it alone in the upcoming elections. The BJP had formed an alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party after it failed to secure a majority on its own in the 2019 Assembly polls, and Dushyant Chautala had been appointed the deputy chief minister.

The alliance was called off when Mr Saini became the chief minister, reportedly following a disagreement over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing BJP leaders and workers after a meeting of the party’s extended state executive in Panchkula on Saturday, Mr Shah said in Hindi, “Remove all doubts from your mind, we will not go with anyone (in an alliance for the upcoming elections). We don’t need any crutches. We will form a BJP government with a full majority. We will earn the trust of voters in Haryana under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nayab Singh Saini.”

Nayab Singh Saini, 54, is an influential figure within the OBC, or Other Backward Classes, community and was a Lok Sabha MP before taking over the top job in the state. 

Mr Khattar, who is now a Union Minister, was present at the party meeting, which was also attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is the BJP’s election in-charge for Haryana and the co-incharge, Biplab Kumar Deb, among others.

The upcoming elections in Haryana will be crucial for the BJP, especially because it won only five of the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats after sweeping all of them in 2019. Along with Maharashtra and Jharkhand, which will also see Assembly polls this year, it will be an opportunity for the party to prove that it remains popular with voters after failing – for the first time in 10 years – to achieve a majority on its own in the general elections.

In Haryana, the BJP faces a challenge from the Congress, which has been buoyed after bagging the remaining five Lok Sabha seats in the state. The ruling party’s former ally, the Jannayak Janta Party, has also announced that it will support the Congress in the Rajya Sabha poll, the date for which is yet to be declared. One seat in the Upper House from the state has been vacated by Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda, who has been elected as an MP from the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat. 

Mr Chautala has ruled out an alliance with the BJP and said the JJP will take feedback from its workers and then decide whether it will partner with any other party.   

Chandigarh:

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday called Punjab his state’s “elder brother” and urged it to share water from the Ravi and Beas through the Sutlej Yamuna link (SYL) canal.

He made the suggestion while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Earlier in the day, he also visited the Radha Soami Satsang in Beas and met the sect’s chief, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, at his residence.

While Haryana has built its portion of the canal, Punjab is reluctant to complete the stretch in its territory, saying it has no water to spare.

Speaking to reporters on the SYL canal issue, Saini said, “Punjab is our elder brother, and it is the duty of the elder brother not to let the younger brother be disappointed.”

He also stressed the familial bond between Punjab and Haryana, stating, “Punjab-Haryana is one family and I appeal to our elder brother to share water with us.”

Recently, after the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi accused Haryana of not releasing the national capital’s share of water, Mr Saini maintained that Haryana is releasing water to the city over and above the agreed-upon quantity.

Mr Saini had then said that there is also an AAP government in Punjab, and they should ask Punjab to give SYL canal water so that Haryana’s water shortage can be overcome and Delhi can also get more water.

During his visit to the Golden Temple, Mr Saini partook of ‘langar’ and offered “sewa” (voluntary service) by washing utensils.

The Gurudwara Committee presented him a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour), the statement said.

Speaking to reporters after paying obeisance at the Golden temple, Mr Saini said, “Today, I have found great peace of mind by visiting the holy city Amritsar”.

We should pledge to follow the path shown by the Gurus, Mr Saini said, adding that he prayed for the happiness and prosperity of the people of the state and the country.

“The sacrifice of our Sikh Gurus for the protection of the nation and religion is embedded in every particle of this holy land, which inspires the entire country to serve the nation,” he said in a post on X.

According to an official statement, the Haryana chief minister’s visit to Radha Soami Satsang at Beas was a “courtesy” meeting.

“Met Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon Ji, the spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Under his able leadership, RSSB has been at the forefront of many community service efforts. On this occasion, received guidance from Baba Gurinder Ji on various spiritual and social issues,” Mr Saini said in another post on X in Hindi.

He later visited the Ram Tirth temple near Amritsar city.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rohtak (Haryana):

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal amid the row over the water crisis in the national capital. He said the state is providing its complete quota of water to Delhi and the Aam Aadmi party government is “spreading lies” to hide its own “corruption.”

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, chief minister Saini said, “Mr Kejriwal made this allegation earlier also. I want to ask him to pay less attention to corruption and more to development. Haryana is providing more water than was decided in the agreement made at the court’s order. Haryana is providing more water than agreed.”

“But just for their politics, for hiding their corruption, he (the Delhi chief minister) is spreading lies. This is the nature of Arvind Kejriwal,” he added.

Taking a jibe at the Delhi government, Mr Saini said that the AAP government couldn’t build proper infrastructure for water, as it was busy with “corruption.”

“He (Mr Kejriwal) failed to build a proper water system because his full focus was on corruption…the court also slammed the Delhi government and said the Haryana government is providing their quota of water,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi continues to battle a severe water crisis amid rising temperatures in the National Capital.

Earlier on Friday, the Delhi government approached the Supreme Court to get immediate additional water from neighbouring Haryana.

Delhi government in its plea said that it is constrained to file the petition on account of the acute shortage of water being faced by the people of Delhi, triggered by the ongoing severe heat conditions in North India, particularly in the national capital.

Several areas in Delhi, including Chanakyapuri’s Sanjay Camp area and the Geeta colony area are among those facing acute water shortages. In the blazing heat, people have to wait in long queues to fill buckets from water tankers.

The residents have complained that, despite submitting applications to the government regarding water shortage, their pleas go unnoticed.

The Haryana chief minister further said that they are probing the allegations of discrepancies and incidents of ‘bogus voting’ during polling in the state

He also said the whole report of BJP leaders who were allegedly working against the party’s interest will be sent to the central leadership.

“We called a meeting with all the district in-charges yesterday, the other position holders, and other leaders. We are collecting all the information…whatever will be found, whoever has done the whole report will be sent to the central leadership. Whatever decision will be taken by them, will have to be followed by everyone,” chief minister Saini said.

“The officers who have committed discrepancies, made attempts of bogus voting, tried to spoil the atmosphere. Whichever booths are found involved in this, we will take action against the involved officers,” he added.

The 10 seats of Haryana voted on May 25 in the sixth phase of polling. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chandigarh:

In the middle of the Lok Sabha election, dramatic developments have reduced the BJP-led state government to a minority in Haryana Assembly. The Congress is now racing against time to make the most of the situation and cobble together the numbers required to topple the Nayab Singh Saini government months before state polls.

Behind the crisis is the decision of three Independent MLAs to switch from the BJP camp to the Congress side last evening. MLAs Sombir Sangwan (Dadri), Randhir Singh Gollen (Pundri) and Dharampal Gonder (Nilokheri) announced their decision to withdraw support to the BJP government at a press meet in Rohtak yesterday. They were accompanied by Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Congress’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and state Congress chief Udai Bhan.

Addressing the media, Mr Hooda said, “The government should resign. President’s rule should be imposed in the state and elections held. This is an anti-people government.”

Chief Minister Saini, who took over the top post just about two months back, had a guarded response. “When I heard about it, I knew that moment the Congress is trying to fulfil their wishes. Everyone has a wish. But the people know. They know the Congress has got nothing to do with the wishes of people, but is only focused on fulfilling their wishes,” he said. The Chief Minister did not elaborate on how the BJP plans to counter the threat to its government.

In a significant remark, Haryana Speaker Gian Chand Gupta has said a majority test had earlier been conducted on the demand of Mr Hooda and there is no need to conduct another for six months. The Nayab Singh Saini government cleared a trust vote soon after he took over in March.

The JJP Factor

Adding a twist to the Haryana political upheaval, the BJP’s former ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) has offered support to the Congress. JJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has said the government has lost the trust of the people. “We will support a move to bring down the government. The Congress has to decide if it will make a move or not,” he said. This comes less than two months after the BJP parted ways with JJP, which has 10 MLAs, and cobbled together enough numbers to cross the majority mark.

How The Numbers Stack Up

The 90-seat Haryana Assembly currently has 88 members. This means the majority mark is 45. The BJP has 40 MLAs of its own and is supported by three out of 6 Independent MLAs. This makes it 43, two short of the magic figure. The Congress has 30 legislators and three Independents now support it. If the JJP backs it, the Congress will have the support of 43 MLAs. This leaves two MLAs — one from Haryana Lokhit Party and the other from INLD.

The Chautala Family Factor

An interesting subplot playing out amid the Haryana government crisis is linked to the Chautala clan that once dominated the state’s political landscape before a string of poll setbacks, convictions and a split reduced INLD to a one-man party in the Assembly. Currently, INLD general secretary Abhay Chautala is the party’s lone MLA in the Assembly. Now that the JJP, led by Mr Chautala’s estranged nephew Dushyant Chautala has offered support to the Congress, the question is will Abhay Chautala remain on the same side or join ranks with BJP.

New Delhi:

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini today gave a cryptic message amid a potential crisis in the BJP government after three independent MLAs announced they have withdrawn support to the BJP government.

The three MLAs – Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Gollen and Dharampal Gonder – claimed the Haryana government is in a minority now and the state elections should be held soon. They said they will support the Congress in the election.

Mr Saini, however, dismissed the situation as nothing alarming.

“When I heard about it, I knew that moment the Congress is trying to fulfil their wishes. Everyone has a wish,” Mr Saini said.

“But the people know. They know the Congress has got nothing to do with the wishes of people, but only with fulfilling their personal wishes,” he said.

The Chief Minister did not explain how the BJP plans to counter this new threat.

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the BJP has no right to continue in power in Haryana as the government is in minority now.

“Keeping in mind the sentiments of the public, the MLAs supported the Congress, thanks to all the three independents,” Mr Hooda told reporters.

“Along with the public, those who voted and supported BJP are unhappy with this government. The BJP should immediately dissolve the government and face the assembly elections,” the Congress leader said.

The three independent MLAs made the announcement at a press conference ion Rohtak in Mr Hooda and state Congress chief Udai Bhan’s presence.

“We have taken this decision on various issues including those related to farmers,” Mr Gonder said.

The state Congress chief said the present strength of the 90-member assembly is 88, of which the BJP has 40 members. “The BJP government earlier had the support of JJP MLAs and independents, but the JJP had also withdrawn support and now independents are leaving,” Mr Bhan said.

“Nayab Singh Saini government is now a minority government. He should resign as he does not have the right to stay even for a minute,” Mr Bhan said.

Chandigarh:

In a setback to the ruling BJP in Haryana amid the Lok Sabha elections, three Independent MLAs today announced that they have withdrawn their support to the Nayab Singh Saini-led government in the state.

The three MLAs – Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Gollen and Dharampal Gonder – also said that they have decided to extend support to the Congress during the elections.

They made the announcement at a press conference held in Rohtak in presence of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Udai Bhan.

“We are withdrawing support to the government. We are extending our support to the Congress,” Mr Gonder said.

“We have taken this decision on various issues including those related to farmers,” he said.

Speaking at the presser, Udai Bhan said, “The three Independent MLAs – Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Singh Gollen and Dharampal Gonder – have withdrawn their support to the BJP government and extended their support to the Congress.”

“I also want to say that present strength of (90-member) Haryana Assembly is 88, of which the BJP has 40 members. The BJP government earlier had support of JJP MLAs and Independents, but JJP had also withdrawn support and now Independents are also leaving.

“Nayab Singh Saini government is now a minority government. He should tender his resignation as he does not have right to stay even for a minute,” said Mr Bhan.

Now, the assembly polls should be held immediately, he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chandigarh:

The Nayab Singh Saini government in Haryana carried out the first cabinet expansion on Tuesday by inducting eight MLAs as ministers. Mr Saini and five ministers took oath last week.

Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at the Raj Bhavan here.

BJP MLA from Hisar Kamal Gupta was the first one to be administered oath as cabinet minister.

Gupta took oath in Sanskrit. He was a minister in the previous M K Khattar cabinet.

Thereafter, Badkhal MLA Seema Trikha, Panipat Rural MLA Mahipal Dhanda, Ambala City MLA Aseem Goel, Nangal Chaudhary MLA Abhe Singh Yadav, Thanesar MLA Subhash Sudha, Bawani Khera MLA Bishamber Singh Balmiki, and Sohna MLA Sanjay Singh were sworn in as ministers of state (independent charge).

Former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar was also present at the swearing-in ceremony. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The BJP’s Nayab Singh Saini, 54, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Haryana at a rapidly-assembled ceremony in Chandigarh Tuesday evening, capping a frenetic few hours triggered by the resignation this morning of his predecessor, Manohar Lal Khattar, and the entire cabinet.

In a significant gesture, Mr Saini – seen as a confidante of the 69-year-old ML Khattar – bent to touch his feet twice, and was hugged in return. And, in addition to Mr Saini, the BJP’s JP Dalal, Moolchand Sharma, Banwari Lal, and Kanwar Pal Gurjar – all from the old cabinet – took oath as ministers.

In an equally significant move, outgoing Home Minister Anil Vij has been dropped.

The new government will be backed by six independent lawmakers and, potentially, five from the JJP of now ex-Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, who are set to cross but are not expected to get cabinet berths. The BJP has 41 MLAs in the 90-member House, in which the majority mark is set at 46.

Mr Khattar’s stepping down – and that of his ministers – followed a breakdown of the ruling BJP-JJP alliance over failed seat-sharing talks for the Lok Sabha election. However, the swapping of a chief minister has also been seen as another chapter in the BJP’s well-worn election playbook.

READ | Who Is Nayab Saini: 5 Facts On New Haryana Chief Minister

In the past, the party has changed out chief ministers, and reshuffled cabinets before Assembly elections to ward off the anti-incumbency factor and rejuvenate state units and leaders. This was the tactic before polls in Gujarat and Uttarakhand, which the party won, and Karnataka, which it lost.

The selection of Mr Saini – an influential Other Backward Classes leader – also represents the BJP’s focus on caste and OBC equations in each state before an election. The BJP made similar moves in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh (this was after it won the elections).

READ | Nayab Saini To Be New Haryana Chief Minister After ML Khattar Quits

In the first instance, it replaced four-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and, in the second, in Rajasthan, opted against bringing back former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

NDTV Explains | BJP’s 2024 Gameplan Behind Hattrick Of Heartland Surprises

Mr Khattar is a two-time Chief Minister and his term was to expire in October.

Another likely factor in picking Mr Saini to be the new Chief Minister is that his community accounts for an estimated eight per cent of the state population, with sizeable populations in the Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Hisar and Rewari districts. Mr Saini is the Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra.

Haryana’s political landscape was thrown into flux this morning after Mr Khattar’s resignation, with a several rumours doing the rounds, including one that he will make his Lok Sabha election debut.

There was speculation Mr Khattar would be fielded either from Karnal (held by the BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia) or Mr Saini’s Kurukshetra seat. It now appears he will be given the ticket for the latter.

Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh – one of two senior leaders sent by the party’s HQ as observers – said, “He (Mr Khattar) is a senior leader and has experience… and had run a good government. Soon the party will give him a big responsibility.”

The BJP-JJP alliance in Haryana – formed after the 2019 Assembly election – seemed to be running smoothly till roadblocks over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha poll. The JJP wanted two seats but the BJP would only give one; in 2019 the JJP contested and lost seven seats and the BJP won all 10.

The JJP has said it will contest all 10 seats on its own; the party will hold a rally in Hisar district, at which JJP boss Dushyant Chautala is expected to announce details of that campaign.

Immediately after Mr Saini was sworn in, Mr Chautala posted on X (formerly Twitter), thanking the people of Haryana for the “opportunity to serve as Deputy Chief Minister”.

“Your support and cooperation for the welfare of Haryana… has always energised me. With limited time, and limited numbers, we worked day and night to protect Haryana’s interests,” he said.

सभी हरियाणावासियों को मेरा नमस्कार।

आपने मुझे हरियाणा के उपमुख्यमंत्री के रूप में प्रदेश की सेवा करने का अवसर दिया इसको मैं अपना सौभाग्य मानता हूँ और हरियाणा के प्रत्येक व्यक्ति का दिल की ग़हराइयों से आभार प्रकट करता हूँ। हरियाणा के हित और जनता के कार्यों के लिए आपका समर्थन और…

— Dushyant Chautala (@Dchautala) March 12, 2024

READ | Uncle’s “Betrayal” Dig At Dushyant Chautala On BJP’s Haryana Revamp

Haryana may have only 10 Lok Sabha seats, but it is a Hindi heartland state and is therefore a crucial battleground for the BJP. This is particularly so since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party set itself a target of 370 Lok Sabha seats (on its own) and 400 with National Democratic Alliance members.

The Congress, meanwhile, has hit out at the BJP. Former state unit boss, Selja Kumari, slammed the party for “roaming all over the country making alliances” but failing to properly govern Haryana.

“They should explain why the alliance broke. You are roaming all over the country, making alliances with parties… but you have been in power in Haryana for five years and the people have seen your lack of governance. The only alternative is Congress,” she told news agency ANI.

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Chandigarh:
Hours after Manohar Lal Khattar’s resignation as Haryana Chief Minister, the BJP announced Nayab Singh Saini as its choice for the top post.

Here are 5 Facts About the New Haryana Chief Minister

New Delhi/Chandigarh:

The BJP on Friday appointed Lok Sabha MP Nayab Singh Saini, belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC), its Haryana unit president in place of Om Prakash Dhankar as the party prepares for the Lok Sabha elections next year to be followed by the state assembly polls.

A party communication said Mr Dhankar, a Jat, has been appointed a national secretary of the party.

The appointment of Mr Saini, 53, a first-time MP representing Kurukshetra in the Lok Sabha, may help the party strengthen its hold among the OBC community as the support of Jats, who are the most populous community in the state, is largely seen to be divided among the Congress, Jannayak Janta Party and the Indian National Lok Dal.

The BJP is already in alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), whose leader Dushyant Chautala is the state’s deputy chief minister.

Mr Dhankar was appointed Haryana BJP chief in July 2020 and completed his tenure in July this year.

Mr Saini, who has been campaigning in Rajasthan, is considered a confidant of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. He was also a minister in the previous Khattar cabinet and was a legislator when he fought the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

In 2019, the BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. with party candidates winning with massive margins.

“Congratulations to Nayab Singh Saini for the responsibility of state president”, the outgoing state unit chief Dhankar posted on X.

Shortly before the BJP central leadership appointed the new state unit chief, Mr Dhankar was asked by reporters in Chandigarh on Friday whether a change could be expected since his term as state unit chief had come to an end in July.

Replying to this, Mr Dhankar said change is a natural process in a national party like the BJP and referred to recent appointments in the party’s Punjab and Chandigarh unit.

No one is permanent here, Mr Dhankar, who is also a former Haryana minister, said.

A BJP worker is always prepared to take up any responsibility and role given to him, he said.

This is not a family-based party. It is a national party in which change from booth unit incharge to national president is a natural process, he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)