Chandigarh, October 26: Hours after sealing the alliance with Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janta Party in Haryana by offering the deputy CM post to the 11-month old party, Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs in the state have now demanded a deputy chief minister post for the saffron party too.
Earlier, BJP promised JJP that it will get the deputy chief minister post in Haryana but now the BJP has demanded two deputy chief ministers for the state, one from both the parties.
In the BJP legislative party meeting held in Chandigarh on Saturday, the winning MLAs from the party contended that if a Deputy CM post is given to the JJP, then the same should be done for the BJP in order to maintain the balance of power. The MLAs said that a senior BJP leader should be made the second Deputy CM in Haryana. This, they believe, will prevent the JJP from amassing power in the state and upstaging the BJP.
Motormouth BJP MLA Anil Vij, the only minister from the first Khattar government to retain power, is the leading choice for BJP’s Deputy CM.
JJP, which won 10 seats in the tightly fought Haryana assembly elections, extended support to the BJP on Friday after Manohar Lal Khattar’s BJP failed to cross the majority mark. Dushyant Chautala’s JJP was offered the Deputy CM post in Haryana by BJP as part of the alliance agreement.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the BJP will get the chief minister post whereas the JJP will get the deputy chief minister post.
“Manohar Lal Khattar to be chief minister, JJP to get deputy CM post,” Amit Shah said. He also said that the BJP-JJP alliance will run the government for the next five years.
Commenting on the developments, incumbent Haryana CM ML Khattar said, “We will give a stable government. The process will start tomorrow in Chandigarh.”
Manohar Lal Khattar will be claiming stake to form the government in Haryana today. According to sources, the swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place on Sunday at 2.00 pm.
