Will BJP lose majority in the Haryana Assembly?
- Trisha Rath
- May 18, 2024
- 2 min read
As the country goes to polls for the Lok Sabha elections, Haryana’s Legislative assembly has been making headlines. Two months after appointing a new Chief Minister, the incumbent BJP Government has lost the support of three independent candidates – allegedly putting them in trouble over a loss of majority in the House.
In the 2019 Assembly elections in Haryana, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party with 41 seats. It formed the government with 10 MLAs of the Jananayak Janata Party (JJP) and 7 Independent MLAs, in a house of 90 members.
In March, the BJP-JJP alliance fell apart after strained ties over seat-sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls – effectively bringing down the BJP’s support to 47 MLAs.
Later that month, the Haryana Assembly took up a trust vote after former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was replaced by Nayab Singh Saini as the incumbent CM. The BJP Government won the trust vote with the support of 6 independent MLAs and the sole MLA of the Haryana Lokhit party.
Earlier this month, three independent candidates wrote to the Governor of Haryana saying they were withdrawing their support from the BJP Government and would be supporting the Congress instead. Following this development, the opposition has written to the Governor, seeking a floor test to prove BJP’s majority.
The current strength of the Haryana Legislative Assembly stands at 88.
Factually, the BJP’s numbers do not stack up as it currently has the support of 3 independent candidates and 40 MLAs. However, the BJP claims it has the support required and is confident of retaining its majority. CM Saini mentioned that his government ‘proved majority a month ago, and could prove it again if required’.
All eyes are now on the Governor and the results of the imminent floor test. As Haryana gears up for its next Assembly elections in October, the subsequent developments will be crucial in determining who will form the next government – and if a version of the polls will be held sooner than expected.
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