3 of 5 Haryana BJP MPs sworn in as mins, Cabinet seat for Khattar

GURGAON: Three of BJP’s five MPs from Haryana – former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar — will be central ministers in the third Modi govt, underlining the political focus that will remain on the state which is headed for assembly polls later this year.
Haryana is one of the states where BJP performed poorly in the Lok Sabha election, its tally coming down by 50% in the face of a Congress revival.
Seated in the front row at Sunday’s swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Khattar took oath as a Cabinet minister. Six-time Gurgaon MP Singh, who had ministerial portfolios in the first two Modi govts as well, will also be part of the Cabinet as minister of state (independent charge).
CM of Haryana for two terms before stepped down this March as BJP decided to go into the LS and assembly polls with a fresh face as chief minister in Nayab Singh Saini, Khattar, a former RSS pracharak and old friend of Prime Minister Modi, was primed for a central role after he was relieved of his state responsibilities. He moved into the Lok Sabha arena from his home constituency, Karnal, defeating Congress candidate Divyanshu Buddhiraja by a substantial margin of 2.3 lakh votes.
On Sunday evening, Khattar was ninth in the new ministerial lineup. His political journey saw a pivotal moment during the 2014 assembly elections when he was given an assembly ticket by the central leadership to contest in the state. Khattar was appointed CM after BJP secured a majority in the state elections, the first time it formed a govt in Haryana. He retained his position in 2019, but led a coalition govt with JJP as partner with BJP falling short of majority in the 90-member state assembly.
“Although BJP’s seats in Haryana have decreased from 10 to 5, the party is making serious efforts to maintain influence through these strategic appointments. There were speculations about picking two ministers from Haryana, balancing caste and regional considerations to strengthen the party’s position, but Modi has given three ministerial seats to Haryana,” said a senior BJP functionary.
Singh, who was MoS planning in the previous Modi govt, has been instrumental in the party’s electioneering in south Haryana, which has 14 assembly seats. There were strong indications that he would be reappointed as a central minister.
Gurjar, a three-time MP from Faridabad and a minister in the previous two terms of the Modi govt, has been included as a minister of state (MoS). His influence in his community bolstered his candidacy for a ministerial position, according to party insiders. “As BJP navigates complexities of coalition politics and regional dynamics, these appointments are critical in shaping the party’s strategy for the upcoming assembly elections,” said a senior party functionary.