The Haryana governor on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister and his council of ministers, according to an official notification.
"Manohar Lal has tendered his resignation as chief minister of Haryana and that of his council of ministers to the governor through a letter dated March 12, 2024. The resignation has been accepted by the Governor with effect from Tuesday,” it said.
According to the notification, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya has, however, requested Manohar Lal and his colleagues to carry on the functions of the government till alternative arrangements are made and they have agreed to do so.
Khattar and his cabinet ministers on Tuesday submitted their resignations to Governor Dattatreya and the development came amid speculation of cracks emerging in the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) coalition over seat sharing ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Haryana BJP president Nayab Singh Saini (54), who is MP from Kurukshetra, was on Tuesday unanimously elected as leader of the party's state legislative group and will be taking oath as the State's new chief minister.
Saini, considered a confidante of Manohar Lal Khattar, will be replacing the BJP strongman whose second term as chief minister was going to end in October when assembly polls are due.
The surprise move by the ruling BJP came weeks before Lok Sabha polls were to be held. Haryana Assembly polls are also due in October.
