On Tuesday morning, Manohar Lal Khattar, the Chief Minister of Haryana, submitted his resignation to Governor Bandaru Dattareya, an action that was quickly followed by the resignation of his entire cabinet.
This development is amidst rumors of a rift within the BJP-JJP alliance concerning the division of seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The BJP, alongside Dushyant Chautala’s JJP, has announced intentions to independently contest the upcoming election. In the 2019 elections, the BJP achieved a clean sweep in Haryana, securing all 10 seats, while the newly established JJP did not win any of its seven contests, despite garnering a respectable 4.9 percent of the vote share.
The seat-sharing contention arose when the JJP demanded two Lok Sabha seats, but the BJP, aiming for a national total of 370 seats on its own, was willing to concede only one. This issue gains context from the 2019 Assembly elections, where the JJP’s 10 seats became crucial for the BJP, which, having won 40 seats, was short of a majority in the 90-member House. This shortfall led to a post-election alliance between the two parties to form the government.
Amidst this political backdrop, there’s speculation that Khattar is considering a run for the Lok Sabha from Karnal, a seat currently held by BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia. Sources suggest that Bhatia may transition from Parliament to the Haryana Assembly in a reciprocal move, potentially stepping into the role of Chief Minister.
