BJP looks for Jat faces as hectic lobbying continues for Haryana cabinet berths
The Haryana cabinet will be expanded after the special session of the state assembly likely to take place next week. There will be 13 cabinet ministers in the new-BJP-JJP alliance government which will have mostly new faces this time as eight sitting ministers lost including Capt Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar, both from the Jat community. The saffron party is zeroing in on Jat faces in the cabinet to win back the support of the community.
It is learnt that hectic lobbying is going on for cabinet berths in the Khattar 2.0 government. The names doing the rounds for the eight cabinet berths which will go to the BJP are six-time MLA from Ambala cantonment and presently state health minister Anil Vij, Banwari Lal, Nirmal Choudhary, Mahaipal Dhanda, Deepak Mangla, Kamal Gupta, Ghanshyam Saraf, Subhash Sudha, Kanwar Pal Gujjar speaker of the assembly and the lone woman MLA Seema Trikha.
Gain Chand Gupta is tipped to be the next speaker of the state assembly as he was the chief whip of the party in the present house.
Sources said that that besides eight ministers from the BJP in the state cabinet, two MLAs each from the JJP and the Independents, who had announced unconditional support to the saffron party, will be awarded cabinet berths.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday met senior party leaders in Delhi in order to draw up the list of ministers in his cabinet. The party is trying to maintain a balance of various castes and communities while finalising the list. The final nod will be given by Union Home Minister and party president Amit Shah and working president JP Nadda.
Sources said the JJP is expected to get two berths -- one cabinet minister and one minister of state. The names of Ram Kumar Gautam, Ishwar Singh and Anoop Dhanak are among the probables likely to get ministerial berths.
Among the seven Independents supporting the BJP, late Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal's son Ranjit Singh Chautala is among the frontrunners for the ministerial post. Earlier, he was in the Congress but left it as he was denied a ticket. Also, BJP rebel Balraj Kundu who won from Mehan might get a cabinet berth. Both are Jats.
Also, a committee comprising leaders of both the BJP and JJP will be set up to formulate a common minimum programme for the coalition. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, "The Cabinet will be expanded after the special session of the state legislative assembly. A committee will also be formed comprising leaders of both BJP and JJP to formulate a common minimum programme for the government."
Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala said both parties will work together for the welfare of the state and will take decisions collectively.
There are 25 Jats MLA in the newly elected Haryana assembly. Of them, nine are from the Congress, five each from the BJP and JJP, one from the INLD and five are independent legislators.