E-Paper
Eleven cabinet berths up for grabs in Haryana
Only few MLAs to be sworn as ministers today; 7 BJP, 3 JJP, 2 independent legislators in the reckoning
The newly formed coalition of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which will be sworn in on Sunday at Haryana Raj Bhawan, will have 13 ministers excluding chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Only a few MLAs would be sworn in as ministers on Sunday. JJP leader Dushyant Chautala will also be sworn in as a minister and designated as the deputy chief minister as per the understanding reached on Friday between the two allies.
There are 11 cabinet berths up for grabs since eight BJP ministers, who were seeking a second term, were defeated in the polls. There can be a maximum of 13 ministers, including the chief minister in Haryana council of ministers as per Article 164 (1A) of the Constitution. It says that total number of ministers, including the CM, in the council of ministers in a state shall not exceed 15% of the total number of MLAs.
From the BJP camp, Anil Vij, a Punjabi-Khatri from Ambala Cantt in the north, and Banwari Lal, a Scheduled Caste from Bawal in the south, the two BJP ministers who won this time are sure to be inducted in the council of ministers. Those in consideration for a cabinet berth are former IAS officer Abhe Singh Yadav from the Nangal Chaudhary seat and OP Yadav from Narnaul, both second-time MLAs.
Second-term MLAs Seema Trikha (Badhkal), Kamal Gupta (Hisar) Kanwar Pal Gujjar (Jagadhri), Mool Chand Sharma (Ballabhgarh) and Bishamber Balmiki are also in the reckoning for a ministerial berth. BJP’s Panchkula MLA Gian Chand Gupta is being considered for the office of assembly speaker while party MLAs Harvinder Kalyan and Ram Kumar Kashyap are in reckoning for the post of deputy speaker.
Besides Dushyant, second-term MLAs, RK Gautam (Narnaund) and Anoop Dhanak (Uklana) are being considered for induction into the cabinet from the JJP camp. Among the independents lending support to the BJP-JJP coalition, Balraj Kundu (Meham) and Ranjit Singh (Rania) are likely to be inducted.
CASTE AND REGIONAL BALANCE
Caste and region will be a key factor in the selection of ministers, besides seniority and political standing. For instance, the BJP probable for a cabinet berth Abhe Singh Yadav an OP Yadav are Ahirs from the Ahirwal region in the south. Seema Trikha is a Punjabi-Khatri and a woman representative. Only three women from the BJP — Trikha, Nirmal Rani and Kamlesh Dhanda — made it to the assembly this time. Kamal Gupta comes from Vaish community and represents Hisar in the north-western part of the state. Kanwar Pal is a Gujjar from Jagadhri in the north, Mool Chand Sharma, a Brahmin from Ballabhgarh in the south and Bishamber Balmiki, a Scheduled Caste from Bawani Khera in southern Haryana. Caretaker chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, a Punjabi-Khatri, represents Karnal in the north.
Similarly, JJP probable RK Gautam is a Brahmin and represents Narnaund in the northwest. Anoop Dhanak is a Scheduled Caste from Uklana in the northwest. Dushyant, a Jat, represents Jat heartland seat of Uchana Kalan in the central Haryana. The independent MLAs likely to be inducted are Balraj Kundu, a Jat from Meham in Rohtak, and Ranjit Singh, also a Jat from Rania in northwest.
Even for electing the assembly speaker and deputy speakers, caste and region are the primary factors. Those under consideration for these posts are Gian Chand Gupta, who comes from Vaish community and represents Panchkula, Harvinder Kalyan, who is a Ror from Gharaunda in the north, and Ram Kumar Kashyap, who is from backward class representing Indri in the north.
