Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anil Vij staked his claim for the Chief Minister’s post ahead of the Haryana Assembly election on Sunday. Vij, highlighting his seniority within the party, requested consideration for the CM position.
“I am the senior-most MLA of BJP in Haryana. I have contested elections six times. I have never asked the party for anything. However, on the demand of the people, I will claim the designation of CM based on my seniority this time,” Vij stated.
He acknowledged that the final decision rests with the party’s high command, saying, “It is in the hands of the high command whether they will make me CM or not. If they make me the CM, I will change the picture of Haryana.”
Anil Vij is the BJP candidate from the Ambala Cantt Assembly constituency. He previously served as the Haryana Home Minister during Manohar Lal Khattar’s government but was removed in the recent cabinet reshuffle, which saw Nayab Singh Saini sworn in as Chief Minister.
Earlier, Vij had expressed his discontent over his exclusion from the cabinet, remarking, “It may be true that some people have made me a stranger in my party, but sometimes strangers do more work than one’s own people.” He did not attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet and left the Legislature Party meeting midway, visibly showing his dissatisfaction.
Nayab Singh Saini took the oath as Haryana CM in March, replacing Manohar Lal Khattar. When the BJP won a majority in the 90-member Haryana Assembly in 2014 for the first time, Vij was considered a strong contender for the Chief Minister’s position, but the party chose first-time MLA Khattar instead. In the 2019 polls, Khattar again surpassed Vij in the race, with Vij being allotted key portfolios like home and health.
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The 90-member Haryana legislative assembly election will take place on October 5, with the last date for filing nominations being September 12. The vote count is scheduled for October 8. In the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP became the single largest party with 40 seats, while the Congress won 30 seats.