Khattar to stake claim to form Haryana government

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will stake claim to form the government on Saturday after a meeting with BJP legislature party in which he is set to be elected as party's leader

BJP central leadership will be sending senior party leader and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and party general secretary Arun Singh as central observers for the legislature party meeting in which MLAs will choose their leader.

Khattar, who arrived in the national capital on Friday, has already met senior party leaders including BJP Working President JP Nadda and party's in-charge general secretary for Haryana, Anil Jain, in which modalities of government formation have been discussed. This was after the party managed to secure the support of the majority of MLAs.

Though Khattar will stake claim on Saturday, the party is likely to hold a formal swearing-in ceremony only after Diwali which falls on October 27.

Meanwhile, the BJP has played safe with regard to public spectacle with controversial MLA Gopal Kanda, the independent MLA who played a key role in enlisting the support of independent MLAs for the BJP to form the next government in Haryana.

As a big political controversy kicked in over BJP courting Kanda to form a government, BJP leaders avoided a public appearance with Kanda, though the MLA is very much backing the saffron party openly.

Much of the role that Kanda plays in the new government will also depend on the stand taken by Dushyant Chautala headed JJP, which has 10 MLAs. If JJP agrees to support BJP, Khattar government will not have to depend so much on Kanda and MLAs in his kitty. BJP had in 2012 led a massive agitation against Kanda when he was booked in a sexual harassment and suicide case. BJP leader Anil Jain, when confronted over Kanda episode, parried questions on aligning with tainted Kanda.

Latching on to the issue, Congress questioned BJP"s commitment to its 'Beti Bachao' pitch.