Haryana cabinet expansion on Thursday, BJP ally Jannayak Janata Party JJP likely to get two berths

The Haryana cabinet expansion will take place on Thursday, even as independent MLAs from the state held a meeting to chalk out a strategy to ensure their representation is accommodated in the state council. The new ministers will be administered the oath of office at 11 am.

The MLAs--Nayanpal Rawat, MLA from Prithla, Randhir Singh Gollen, MLA from Pundri, Balraj Kundu, Meham MLA, Dharampal Gonder and Sombir Sangwan from Nilokheri and Dadri, respectively met at the Haryana Bhawan in Delhi on Tuesday.

The Khattar cabinet already has two members, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khatter and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and according to ANI sources out of nine cabinet berths, two are likely to go to Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), BJP`s ally in Haryana.

While the MLAs had maintained they had met over `lunch` as it was pending for a long time, they did express their desire to be accommodated in the cabinet. "It is everyone`s desire to be in the cabinet. BJP will decide who will be accommodated. We were from BJP and have given support to it even after winning as independents. We have both - expectations and grievances," Rawat had stated.

Speaking to ANI, Rawat maintained that independents have given unconditional support to the government and that the reason for the delay in cabinet formation can only be explained by the government.

Haryana Assembly election was held on October 21 and results were declared on October 24. The 90-member Assembly has 40 MLAs from BJP, 10 from JJP, 31 from Congress, one MLA each from INLD and Haryana Lokhit Party, and seven independents.