Haryana Cabinet Expansion: BJP's Kamal Gupta, Devender Singh Babli of JJP sworn in as ministers

BJP MLA Kamal Gupta and JJP MLA Devender Singh Babli were inducted into the government as ministers.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday expanded his cabinet with the induction of one MLA each from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its coalition partner Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).In the second expansion of the Haryana cabinet in two years, BJP MLA Kamal Gupta and JJP MLA Devender Singh Babli were inducted into the government as ministers.They were administered oath by Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at a ceremony held at the Haryana Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh. Gupta took oath in Sanskrit while Babli took oath in Hindi.WHO IS KAMAL GUPTA?Kamal Gupta is BJP's MLA from Hisar. Interacting with reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, Dr Kamal Gupta, a two-time MLA, said his priority will be to ensure the development of Hisar and the state.Haryana BJP chief OP Dhankar said Kamal Gupta works dedicatedly on any task he takes up.Gupta has an RSS background and is considered close to CM Manohar Lal.WHO IS DEVENDER SINGH BABLI?Devender Singh Babli is a first-time MLA from Tohana in Fatehabad, which emerged as a hotbed of protests by farmers against the three central farm laws earlier this year.The JJP legislator had also faced a strong protest by farmers in his constituency in June during which his SUV's windscreen was damaged and his personal assistant injured, according to a PTI report.Babli, a prominent Jat face, had in the 2019 assembly polls defeated BJP's then state unit chief Subhash Barala by a heavy margin of votes.Haryana BJP chief OP Dhankar said Babli is energetic and works with passion and dedication on the task assigned to him.BOOST FOR BJPWith the induction of the two MLAs, the strength of the Haryana council of ministers has gone up to 14, including the chief minister, which is the upper limit.Earlier, 10 MLAs were inducted into the cabinet in November 2019, days after the chief minister and his deputy were sworn in on October 27 that year.After Tuesday's cabinet expansion, the BJP has 10 ministers, including the chief minister, and the JJP has three ministers, including the deputy chief minister, while Ranjit Singh Chautala is the lone Independent MLA inducted as a minister.The BJP fell short of a simple majority in the October 2019 Haryana assembly polls, winning 40 of the 90 seats, and subsequently, it forged an alliance with the JJP, which has 10 MLAs.The BJP formed the government in the state with the support of JJP lawmakers and Independent MLAs.(With Agency Inputs)

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