ML Khattar Sworn In As Haryana CM For Second Straight Term; Dushyant Takes Oath As Dy CM

Senior BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana for second straight term on Sunday, after his party BJP stitched a post-poll alliance with Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and came to power again in the state.

New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manohar Lal Khattar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana for second straight term on Sunday, after his party stitched a post-poll alliance with Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and came to power again in the state. He was followed by JJP chief Dushyant Chautala who took oath as the deputy CM of the state. Both Khattar and Chautala were administered oath of office and oath of secrecy by Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya. "My government will be transparent," Khattar told the media ahead of taking the oath. The event was attended by Ajay Chautala, father of Dushyant Chautala, who was released earlier in the day on a two-day furlough.  His mother Naina Chautala also attended the ceremony. After the oath-taking ceremony, Ajay Chautala said: "I extend my good wishes to the new government, there could not have been a better Diwali." BJP working president JP Nadda, Union ministers, and the chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh attended the swearing-in ceremony of Khattar as the Haryana chief minister here on Sunday, party sources said. Some BJP MPs also attended the event at the Haryana Raj Bhawan in the afternoon. The governor on Saturday invited Khattar to lead the coalition which also has the support of seven independents. "We have stake claim to form government in Haryana. The Governor has accepted our proposal and invited us (to form the government)," Chief Minister-designate Khattar told the media. He said he had tendered his resignation which had been accepted. He was unanimously elected as leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party. Khattar's name was proposed by legislator Anil Vij and seconded by the rest of the 38 legislators. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat and Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur are among chief ministers of BJP-ruled states who attended the ceremony. In his first term, Khattar had taken oath on October 26, 2014, which was attended by a galaxy of leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, L K Advani, Amit Shah, Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of several BJP-ruled states, besides Akali Dal veteran Parkash Singh Badal. In a departure from the past, the oath-taking function in 2014 was held at Panchkula instead of Chandigarh, the common capital of both Haryana and Punjab. However, this time, the function was again held in Chandigarh. Khattar, 65, along with his deputy Chautala will be heading the second BJP government of the state, which was formed on November 1, 1966. Five-time Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, whose party Shriomani Akali Dal (SAD) had an alliance with BJP's rival Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) during the assembly elections despite being an NDA partner, attended the ceremony along with son and Member of Parliament Sukhbir Badal. Earlier, the BJP, which won 40 seats and was six short of a majority in the 90-member Assembly, announced an alliance with the JJP led by Dushyant Chautala, a great grandson of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal. (With agency inputs)