After its historic third consecutive election victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party is gearing up to form a new government in Haryana. The focus is on stitching together a cabinet that would symbolize the state’s most intricate caste arithmetic.
The party’s 48 newly elected lawmakers will meet later in the day, but all eyes are on their central leadership, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Haryana government can have up to 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister-elect Nayab Singh Saini, who recently met Modi in Delhi. With the BJP needing to introduce 11 new faces, only Mahipal Dhanda and Mool Chand Sharma retain their seats, leaving 13 positions.
Indeed, it is a tightrope walk between caste representation and community demands, but the BJP has navigated these challenges earlier, too. Following victories in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh last December, the party consulted MLAs and state leaders to announce chief ministers and cabinets.
The list of BJP candidates in Haryana comprises nine MLAs from the Dalit community, eight with Punjabi roots, seven Brahmins, six each from Jat and Yadav communities, besides people from Gurjar, Rajput, Vaishya, and OBC categories.
The main contenders from the Dalit community include six-time MLA Krishna Lal Panwar and two-time MLA Krishna Bedi, whereas the Punjabi group has seven-time MLA Anil Vij, who has already sulked about being overlooked for the Chief Minister’s post a couple of times.
The other MLAs are Krishnan Middha from Jind and Ghanshyam Das Arora from Yamunanagar, though Arora’s selection is problematic due to regional dynamics.
Among the Brahmins, three-time MLA from Ballabgarh Mool Chand Sharma is likely to get the renomination along with former Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sharma.
The BJP’s strength is also reflected in the six MLAs from the Ahirwal belt, which is crucial for their victory against the Congress. The list includes six-time MLA Rao Narbir Singh and newcomers like Aarti Rao, daughter of veteran politician Rao Indrajit.
The Jats will be represented by Mahipal Dhanda from Panipat and Krishna Gehlawat from Rai. The new faces are probably Shruti Chaudhary, daughter of Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Chaudhary.
Besides this, Savitri Jindal, an independent MLA from Hisar who is said to be India’s richest woman, announced quite recently that she would support the BJP, possibly giving it much-needed weight in cabinet formation.
Shyam Singh Rana could be the face of representation for the Rajput community, while three-time MLA Harvinder Kalyan may be chosen to represent the community that lives on roads. Ranbir Gangwa, former Deputy Speaker, is in the fray for OBC representation. Rajesh Nagar from Tigaon may be the Gurjar nominee.
