Haryana minister Anil Vij has thrown his hat into the ring for the top post in the state in case of a BJP victory. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said there is a lot of public pressure on him and he would stake claim for the post on the basis of his seniority within the party. "Whether they appoint them or not is their prerogative," he added.
The BJP, though, has already announced that the current Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini, will remain its candidate for the job. Mr Vij's announcement could herald a crisis for the party, which prides itself on its discipline..
Ambala: Former Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij says, "I am a senior MLA from Haryana, contesting my seventh election. I have never asked for anything, but this time there is immense pressure from the public. Therefore, based on my seniority, I will stake a claim for the CM's… pic.twitter.com/O4qSSWnzUV
— IANS (@ians_india) September 15, 2024
While factionalism is par for the course for even the BJP in several states, such open challenge to the party decision is rare.
In the post, he also said if given a chance, he would "transform Haryana".
Mr Vij was passed over twice for the post of the Chief Minister – once when Manohar Lal Khattar was chosen and the second time when Nayab Singh Saini replaced him.
In 2014, he was the front-runner for the post, but the Central leadership had chosen Mr Khattar, known to be close to Union home minister and the BJP's chief strategist Amit Shah.
When Mr Khattar was picked for the job, Mr Vij was given the key home ministry and under him, rose to be the most powerful and influential minister in the cabinet.
Mr Vij was hugely upset after Mr Saini was picked to replace Mr Khattar. As the seniormost minister in Mr Khattar's cabinet, and the seniomost leader of the party in the state, he had thought the job should be his.
This time, the former minister has been fielded from the Ambala Cantonment seat.
Assembly elections will be held in Haryana in a single phase on October 5 and the votes will be counted on October 8.
