Haryana senior BJP leader Anil Vij has announced that he is in the race for the Chief Minister's post, considering that he was the senior most MLA of BJP in Haryana.
Vij, the former Home Minister at the Manohar Lal Khatter government, was unceremoniously dropped from the Haryana Cabinet during the 2024 reshuffle. He then left the Legislature Party meeting midway and refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Nayab Singh Saini government.
However, despite the rift within the party, Vij, the BJP candidate from Ambala Cantt Assembly constituency, announced himself as the front-runner for the post. "I am the seniormost BJP MLA in Haryana. I have contested elections six times. Based on people's demands and seniority, I will claim the CM post. However, it is the high command that has to take a final call," Vij told reporters, adding that he would change the picture of Haryana if made the chief minister.
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His statement comes as the BJP continues to ignore him, including when he filed nomination papers two days ago. No BJP leader attended the event but Vij expressed hope of being elected again. "People of Ambala Cantt are very wise and have thoughtfully elected a simple man like me six times," the senior BJP leader said.
He, however, courted controversy after he removed "Modi Ka Parivar" phrase from his bio on X. Vij later clarified that he was a BJP man and will remain one till the end of his life.
Despite Vij's statement, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini continues to be the BJP's CM face. Saini filed his nomination papers from the Ladwa constituency in Kurukshetra district. With Saini in the forefront, the BJP is aiming for a hattrick in Haryana. It faces a tough challenge from Congress which is hoping to make a stunning comeback riding on the anti-incumbency factor.