political-shake-up-in-haryana-as-cm-khattar-and-cabinet-step-down-reshuffle-expected

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, along with his cabinet ministers, tendered their resignations to Governor Bandaru Dattatreya following a crucial meeting at Haryana Niwas with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, including six independents.

The resignations, confirmed by a state government spokesperson, come amidst escalating tensions within the ruling BJP-Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) coalition over seat-sharing arrangements for the impending Lok Sabha elections.

Speculation abounds that Khattar is eyeing a Lok Sabha seat from Karnal, while sources suggest that the BJP's state president, Nayab Saini is being considered as his potential successor.

The strained relations between the BJP and the Dushyant Chautala-led JJP have been exacerbated by their failure to reach a consensus on seat allocation in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

In efforts to resolve the crisis, the BJP dispatched Union Minister Arjun Munda and party General Secretary Tarun Chugh to Chandigarh as central observers.

The fissures within the BJP-JJP alliance deepened further after the BJP's Hisar MP, Brijendra Singh, defected to the Congress party.

The BJP and JJP had forged an alliance following the 2019 assembly polls, when the BJP fell short of a majority, securing 46 seats in the 90-member Haryana Assembly.

Presently, the BJP holds 41 MLAs with support from five independents, while the JJP has 10 MLAs. The Congress, meanwhile, commands 30 MLAs in the assembly.

Despite the upheaval, the BJP maintains confidence in its numbers, asserting that the combined strength of 41 MLAs and support from independents ensures a majority in the Haryana Assembly.

In response to the unfolding political dynamics, the central BJP leadership has dispatched Union Minister Arjun Munda and the party's National General Secretary, Tarun Chugh, to the state to oversee the evolving situation.

Sources suggest that CM Khattar has instructed all ministers to resign, signalling an imminent cabinet reshuffle expected to transpire later in the evening.