Chandigarh: Manohar Lal Khattar is all set to be sworn-in Sunday as chief minister of Haryana with JJP leader Dushyant Chautala as his deputy after the governor on Saturday formally invited him to lead the coalition which also has the support of seven independents.
Khattar, Dushyant and some ministers will be sworn-in at 2:15 pm at the Haryana Raj Bhavan on Sunday.
The day saw fast-paced developments with 65-year-old Khattar unanimously elected leader of the BJP's legislative party in Haryana after which the BJP along with the support of the JJP and seven independents staked a claim before Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya to form the government.
Khattar said the governor was informed that a total of 57 MLAs — 40 of the BJP, 10 of the JJP and seven Independents — have come together to form the government.
"The governor accepted it and invited us to form the government on Sunday," Khattar said, adding Dushyant would take oath as his deputy.
He said the names of the ministers who will also take oath will be made known on Sunday.
The BJP, however, said that it would not take the support of controversial Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda, who faces two abetment-to-suicide cases.
"I want to clarify one thing that the BJP is not going to take the support of Kanda," said Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. He attended the legislative party meeting here as central observer along with BJP general secretary Arun Singh.
Dushyant told reporters that the BJP and the JJP have decided to give a stable government for five years.
When asked about the Congress's accusation that the JJP was not respecting people's mandate as it fought the polls against the BJP, Dushyant replied, "I want to ask: did we fight this battle together with Congress? The people gave this mandate against Congress too.
"Congress is that party which Devi Lal left before 1977. In Haryana, Congress is being led by those who looted the state for ten years, sold 63,000 acres of land, CLU gang was active in the state."
Earlier, Khattar and his cabinet colleagues submitted their resignations to the governor, which were accepted. The governor asked Khattar to continue as the interim chief minister till the new government takes over. In the 90-member Haryana assembly, a minimum strength of 46 MLAs is required to form the government.
The BJP also clarified that there would be only one deputy chief minister in the party-led coalition government in the state.
BJP working president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, and former Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal will attend the oath ceremony, confirmed the sources. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh may also come for the ceremony.