BJP to stake claim to form govt in Haryana, claims support of 8 MLAs
New Delhi, Oct 25: The BJP on Friday appeared set to form the government in Haryana after seven Independent MLAs pledged their support to it amid indications that the Dushyant Chautala-led JJP, which has 10 legislators, might also back the saffron party.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will be elected the BJP legislative party leader at a meeting in Chandigarh on Saturday and will then stake claim before the governor to form the government.
Top BJP leaders moved swiftly since Thursday night to cobble together a majority in the 90-member Haryana Assembly after the party's tally fell to 40 in the state, six short of the majority mark.
Sources said BJP president Amit Shah had spoken to Chautala even before the results were out, following inputs that the party might not get a majority on its own.
Chautala, however, made no mention of supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, merely saying that no party was untouchable for him and his Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) would support any formation that would assure him of fulfilling his poll promises made to the people of Haryana, including a 75-per cent quota for locals in government jobs.
The BJP has clinched the backing of most of the seven Independent MLAs in the Haryana Assembly and several of them have given their letters of support to Khattar during a meeting at the residence of the party's working president, JP Nadda, in the national capital.
The saffron party faced flak over controversial MLA Gopal Kanda, an accused in two abetment-to-suicide cases, announcing his support to its bid to form the government in Haryana.
Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti appealed to her party not to forget its moral goals, a suggestion that it should not be seeking Kanda's support for forming government.
Apparently on the defensive, senior BJP leaders ensured that they were not seen with Kanda even as other Independent MLAs were seen moving in and out of Nadda's residence after announcing their support to the saffron party.
BJP's Haryana in-charge Anil Jain said the party's top brass would take a call on the controversial MLA's support.
BJP leaders are also confident of lone Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Abhay Chautala's support to its government.
Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP general secretary Arun Singh will attend Saturday's legislative party meeting as central observers, Jain said.
The Haryana Assembly polls threw up a hung verdict on Thursday, with the ruling BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 40 seats, but falling six short of the majority mark of 46 in the 90-member House.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
