After giving a perfect 10 to the BJP, Haryana has found three representations in the Narendra Modi Cabinet and were sworn in on Thursday.
Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh and Faridabad MP Krishan Pal Gurjar, who were given cabinet berths in the first term of Narendra Modi Government have been inducted in the Union Cabinet again while Ambala MP Rattan Lal Kataria will be a new face in the cabinet.
Both BJP leaders Rattan Lal Kataria, a prominent Dalit face of the party and former state president of the BJP, Krishan Pal Gurjar are the old horses of the party in Haryana.
While Rao Inderjit Singh took oath as Minister of State (independent charge), Rattan Lal Kataria and Krishan Pal Gurjar took oath as Minister of State.
The small state of Haryana sends 10 MPs to the Lok Sabha. The ruling BJP in Haryana had got 58 percent vote share (7357347) in parliamentary polls, winning all 10 seats in the state.
In general elections, three-time MP Rattan Lal Kataria was re-elected and had won from Ambala Lok Sabha seat (reserved) against prominent Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja. Kataria had won by a margin of more than 3.4 lakh votes.
Both Rao Inderjit and Krishan Pal Gurjar were also re-elected and had scored victories with huge margins from their respective parliamentary constituencies in the general elections.
The move to induct leaders from Dalit, Ahir and Gujjar communities is seen as BJP’s strategy to further focus on polarization of non-Jat vote bank in Haryana, which will go to State Assembly polls later this year.
According to the political experts, the big victory of BJP in Haryana in the general elections was the result of factors including Modi wave and strong polarization of non-Jat vote bank.
With the State Assembly polls due to be held in Haryana later this year, the saffron party was also expecting better representation of Haryana in the Union Cabinet, keeping in view the caste based combinations.
Rao Inderjit Singh, a prominent Ahir community leader had registered third consecutive victory on Gurugram Lok Sabha seat with a margin of over 3.8 lakh votes against Congress’ nominee Capt Ajay Singh Yadav in general elections. The former Congressman Rao Inderjit had joined the BJP before the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
Former Haryana BJP chief Krishan Pal Gurjar had registered his second consecutive victory from Faridabad seat against his nearest rival Congress’ Avtar Singh Bhadana by a huge margin of over 6.15 lakh votes. Krishan Pal had won by a margin of over 4.6 lakh votes against the same rival Avtar Singh Bhadana of Congress in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
In the first term of Narendra Modi Cabinet, Haryana was given three cabinet berths. Three prominent leaders from Jat, Ahir and Gujjar communities were inducted in the previous Cabinet.
Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh, who is a prominent Jat leader was holding the charge of Union Minister of Steel. However, he had last month offered to resign when his son Brijendra Singh was given BJP’s ticket to contest from Hisar Lok Sabha seat.
Rao Inderjit Singh was Minister of State for Planning, Chemicals and Fertilisers while Krishan Pal Gurjar was holding the charge of Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in the previous Union Cabinet.
There were speculations that Birender Singh’s son and former IAS Brijendra could be inducted in the cabinet to appease the Jat community in the state.
However, the party high command chose not to induct any Jat face from the state in the cabinet this time.
