ML Khattar resigns as Haryana CM as alliance with JJP breaks; how numbers stack up in Assembly

Manohar Lal Khattar has stepped down as chief minister of Haryana as BJP's alliance with Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) has broken over Lok Sabha seats. The JJP, which allied with the BJP in 2019 after the assembly elections, was pushing for two Lok Sabha seats, but the BJP wanted to contest all 10 parliamentary seats. The JJP wanted to contest from Hisar and Bhiwani in the Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP has 41 MLAs, Congress 30, and JJP 10 in the 90-member House. Seven are Independents, while there is one MLA each from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP). Six independents have extended support to the BJP. Sources told India Today that 4-5 JJP MLAs are also in touch with the BJP.

With these MLAs on its side, the BJP will comfortably cross the majority mark of 46 to form the new government. Sources told India Today that the BJP could form a new government with six Independent legislators and one from the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP).

The BJP has sent Union Minister Arjun Munda and party leader Tarun Chugh to Haryana as observers.

Nayan Pal Rawat, an Independent MLA, said he got the impression that the process of breaking the alliance with JJP had begun. "I met the Chief Minister yesterday. We have already extended our support to the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government. We also discussed the strategy for the Lok Sabha elections. I got the impression that the process of breaking the alliance with JJP has already started," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.