BJP to decide Haryana CM today, Manohar Lal Khattar, Captain Abhimanyu frontrunners

Mangalore Today News Network

Chandigarh, October 21, 2014:  With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) all set to form the government in Haryana, lobbying for the post of chief minister has intensified. Even as the newly elected party legislators are getting ready to meet here on Tuesday afternoon, contenders for the chief minister’s post are doing their bit as well.

Among the frontrunners for the top job are Manohar Lal Khattar (MLA from Karnal), Captain Abhimanyu (Narnaud), Ram Bilas Sharma (Mahendragarh), Anil Vij (Ambala), Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh and former MP Chaudhary Birender Singh.

Meanwhile, the BJP parliamentary board has deputed Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and senior party leader Dinesh Sharma as observers for the meeting which is scheduled to be held after 2 pm today.

According to BJP sources, Khattar (60) is likely to be the next chief minister of Haryana. He has been a prominent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader for the last four decades and close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He won the Karnal seat with a margin of 63,736 votes. Party sources said BJP president Amit Shah, Union minister Nitin Gadkari and senior party leader Jagdish Mukhi have invited him to take part in the discussions.

When asked to comment, Khattar left it to the party high command to decide about who will be the chief minister. "BJP parliamentary board is supreme. Whatever they decide will be accepted by everyone. Our ideology clearly says that we do not believe in a caste. All the political parties, except the BJP, have divided Haryana among the castes," Khattar said.

However, there are certain factors that can go against Khattar. Primary among them is the fact he is a first-timer and has no prior administrative experience.

Among others vying for the chief minister’s post are those who didn’t even contest the Assembly elections. Prominent among these leaders are Chaudhary Birender Singh and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh. Chaudhary Birender has openly said that he is keen to become Haryana chief minister. Claiming that he is one of the contenders, he said that there was nothing wrong in staking claim, but the decision would be taken by the party high command. "Those who are in the politics should not hesitate to hope. But we also know that these decisions are taken by the party high command," he said.

His wife Prem Lata, who won the Uchana Kalan Assembly seat by defeating Dushyant Singh Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal, has announced support for her husband who could not become the state’s chief minister while he was in the Congress party. "I will resign within a minute if the BJP high command gives him a chance to become the chief minister," Prem Lata said.

Rao Inderjit Singh, who quit the Congress earlier this year to join the BJP, is also lobbying for the chief minister’s post. He has even indirectly claimed that he has the support of over a dozen party MLAs who want him to be the chief minister. "But the decision will be taken by the party high command after consulting the MLAs," he said.

courtesy: Indiatoday