Haryana: ML Khattar to stake govt formation claim today

Chandigarh, Oct 26: Manohar Lal Khattar will stake claim to form government in Haryana on Saturday and will meet Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya in Chandigarh later in the day. The BJP has 40 MLAs of its own and with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which has 10, having decided to support the saffron party, Khattar has the support of a total of 50 legislators.

The majority mark needed in 90 member Haryana Assembly is 46. The BJP fell six seats short of a majority
in the Haryana Assembly elections 2019. First, it was the seven independent MLAs who pledged their support to the party. Among those who extended support was former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, who is facing several charges and out on bail.

Later on Friday evening, the BJP clinched an alliance with Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) by offering it the post of deputy chief minister.

Khattar will be elected the BJP legislative party leader at a meeting in Chandigarh today and will then stake claim before the Governor. Dushyant Chautala is likely to be his deputy.

Chautala said that his party believed the alliance was necessary to ensure stability in Haryana.

Khattar said both the parties had worked together in the past.

Haryana got a fractured mandate, resulting in a hung Assembly, with the BJP winning 40 seats, Congress 31, JJP 10, independents 8 and INLD one.