After Haryana polls ended up with a fractured verdict, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday arrived at Haryana Bhawan in Delhi.
He then held a meeting BJP Working President JP Nadda and BJP National General Secretary (Org) BL Santhosh at the former’s residence.
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Talking to reporters, CM Khattar on Friday said: “I am optimistic and we are going to form the government in Haryana”.
Khattar is now expected to meet Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya to stake claim to form the government in the state for the second consecutive term.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 40 seats and emerged as the single largest party though six short of a majority.
Haryana voted for a hung assembly but the results spurred up a few surprises. The Congress saw a surge in its performance, winning 31 seats in the 90-member Haryana Legislative Assembly. Dushyant Chautala led Debutant Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) won 10 seats. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) won a seat each, with Independent candidates winning seven.
However, it is yet not clear on who will be the kingmaker – JJP or the Independents.
According to reports, many of the Independents have extended their support to the BJP.
Meanwhile, Congress rebel, Ranjit Singh, who won from the Rania seat as an Independent candidate has said that he will support the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“I have openly said that I extend my support to Bharatiya Janata Party,” Singh told news agency ANI.
Another Independent candidate, Nayan Pal Rawat, who won from Haryana’s Prithala assembly constituency has also extended his support to BJP. Talking to media, he said he has met BJP Working President JP Nadda JP Nadda.
The BJP is also looking for support from controversial politician Gopal Kanda, the chief of the Haryana Lokhit Party, who was reportedly among the MLAs flown to Delhi for a meeting with the BJP leadership Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, Gopal Kanda, the winning candidate from Sirsa, has claimed that all independent candidates have extended their unconditional support to the BJP.
On the other hand, Haryana JJP president, Sardar Nishant Singh, said that their party has received an invitation from both BJP and Congress and added that it will take a decision only after discussing with the elected candidates.
“We have invitation from both the sides. We will take our decision only after discussing with our elected candidates. If there is no clear majority for BJP, obviously the mandate is against them. We will decide our stand after the meeting, he told reporters earlier today.