CHANDIGARH (TIP): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister of Haryana after it secured a majority in the Assembly elections for the first time in the state. Khattar, a Punjabi, had worked as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak (a full-time RSS worker) for 40 years.

The decision was taken in a meeting of elected MLAs, attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP vice president Dinesh Sharma, who were appointed as observers by the BJP’s Parliamentary Board to decide on who would become Haryana’s new chief minister. Born in Rohtak district, Khattar had contested the Assembly elections from Karnal. He won the Karnal seat with a margin of 63,736 votes. He is stated to be close to the Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah Manohar Lal Khattar said, “MLAs have elected me as the leader of BJP Legislature Party.

It was a unanimous decision. We are going to the Governor and will put forth our claim to form the Government. “The BJP has got a clear majority in the 90- member Assembly for the first time,” Khattar said as he entered the guest house with his supporters who shouted slogans in his favour. Prem Lata, first-time MLA from Uchana Kalan and wife of Birendra Singh, who joined the BJP recently, told reporters that her husband was the most experienced politician to run the state. The saffron party won 47 seats while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won 19, the Congress 15, HJC-BL two, BSP and SAD bagged one seat each while Independents got five.