Anil Vij Wants to Be Chief Minister of Haryana
Senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anil Vij has announced his desire to become the Chief Minister of Haryana ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Vij, who has been an MLA six times, believes his seniority qualifies him for the position. He stated, “I am the senior most MLA of BJP in Haryana. I have contested elections six times. I have never asked the party for anything. However, on the demand of people, I will claim for the designation of CM on the basis of my seniority this time.”
However, Vij acknowledged that the final decision rests with the party’s high command. “It is in the hands of high command whether they will make me CM or not. If they make me the CM I will change the picture of Haryana,” he said.
Anil Vij is the BJP candidate from the Ambala Cantt Assembly constituency. He was the home minister during Manohar Lal Khattar’s government but was excluded from the recent cabinet reshuffle, where Nayab Singh Saini took the oath as CM. Vij had expressed his dissatisfaction with his exclusion, saying, “It may be true that some people have made me a stranger in my party, but sometimes strangers do more work than own people.”
Vij did not attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet and left the Legislature Party meeting midway, visibly expressing his dissatisfaction. Nayab Singh Saini became the CM in March, replacing Manohar Lal Khattar.
In the 2014 Haryana Assembly elections, Vij was seen as a front-runner for the chief ministerial position, but the party chose first-time MLA Khattar. In the 2019 polls, Khattar again beat Vij, who was then given key portfolios like home and health.
The Haryana Assembly elections will be held on October 5, with the last date for filing nominations on September 12. The counting of votes will be held on October 8. In the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP became the single-largest party with 40 seats, while Congress won 30 seats.
Doubts Revealed
Anil Vij -: Anil Vij is a senior leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Haryana six times.
Chief Minister -: The Chief Minister is the head of the government in an Indian state, similar to a Prime Minister but for a state.
Haryana -: Haryana is a state in northern India, known for its rich culture and history.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, which is one of the major political parties in India.
MLA -: MLA stands for Member of the Legislative Assembly, which is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature of a state in India.
High command -: High command refers to the top leaders of a political party who make important decisions.
Home minister -: The home minister is a government official responsible for maintaining internal security and domestic policy in a state or country.
Cabinet reshuffle -: A cabinet reshuffle is when the Prime Minister or Chief Minister changes the positions of ministers in the government.
Haryana Assembly elections -: These are elections held to choose representatives for the Legislative Assembly of Haryana, which makes laws and decisions for the state.
