Haryana Political Crisis: BJP Govt Battles for Survival Ahead of Floor Test

There is a big political problem happening in Haryana. The ruling BJP government may have to prove that it still has the support of most MLAs (members of the legislative assembly) through a floor test. This situation arose because three independent MLAs- Randhir Golan, Dharmpal Gondar, and Somvir Sangwan withdrew their support for the BJP government last week. It is worth noting that the three independent MLAs announced their withdrawal of support to the BJP on May 7, in the presence of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Uday Bhan.

The opposition parties Congress and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) claim that with the withdrawal of these three MLAs, the BJP government has now become a minority government without the backing of most MLAs.

In response, the Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has called an important cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss seeking the Governor's permission to hold a special assembly session for a floor test. Normally, a new floor test cannot happen until September, but the Governor can exercise his discretionary powers under Article 163(1) of the Indian Constitution and ask the government to prove its majority when the house is not in session. Sources close to the government suggest that the special session could be convened after the Lok Sabha election results are announced, as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is also contesting the election from the Karnal assembly constituency.

There are also doubts about the letter from the three independent MLAs withdrawing support, as it was not sent from their official email IDs. The Speaker has said there is no confirmation yet that the MLAs have actually withdrawn support. The Governor's office may ask the MLAs to personally appear or use their registered email IDs to communicate. 

The opposition parties are claiming the BJP now has just 43 MLAs, which is less than the majority needed to form the government. However, the BJP says it still has the required majority and that some MLAs from JJP and Congress are also supporting them.

There are also reports of internal divisions within the JJP, with some MLAs openly opposing party leader Dushyant Chautala. Meanwhile, BJP leaders have challenged JJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala to prove whether all his party MLAs are on the same page. Nayab Singh Saini and ML Khattar have asked to parade JJP MLAs, citing internal divisions within the party.

"Not only this time but we also had 40 MLAs when we formed the government in 2019. The Government has the requisite majority, and this has already been proved when Nayab Singh Saini became the Chief Minister. We are prepared and will prove the numbers if required," said BJP Spokesperson Praveen Attery. The outcome of this floor test, if it happens, will decide the fate of the BJP government in Haryana and have a big impact on the political situation in the state. A lot is at stake for all the parties involved.