Haryana Assembly Speaker Accepts Ranjit Chautala's Resignation from Legislative Assembly

Haryana Assembly Speaker accepts Ranjit Singh Chautala's resignation from the Vidhan Sabha, effective from March 24th. Chautala, now a BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha polls, resigned after joining the party. Despite his resignation from the Assembly, he can retain his ministerial position for six months. Chautala is confident of winning the Hisar seat by a large margin. This is the second vacant seat in the 90-member Assembly, after Manohar Lal Khattar's resignation from the Karnal segment to contest for Karnal Lok Sabha seat. By-elections for both seats will be held on May 25th.

Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta on Tuesday said he has accepted Ranjit Singh Chautala's resignation from the membership of the Vidhan Sabha.

Chautala, an Independent MLA from the Rania segment in Sirsa district, had resigned from the Haryana assembly on March 24 subsequent to joining the BJP.

His resignation has been accepted with effect from that date, the Speaker told reporters here.

Chautala, who is the Power Minister in the Nayab Singh Saini government, is contesting the Lok Sabha polls as BJP candidate from Hisar seat.

When asked if Chautala could continue as a minister after resigning from the assembly, the Speaker said, according to rules, a person, even if he is not an MLA, can continue for six months.

When asked if he would also resign as a minister, Chautala, who met the Speaker here, told reporters, ''No, I am not. There is no need for six months.'' Chautala said as he had joined the BJP, he had tendered his resignation from the assembly membership.

He claimed he will win by a margin of more than two lakh votes from Hisar.

The Speaker said after Chautala's resignation was accepted, Rania is the second seat which is now vacant in the 90-member House.

Earlier, former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is contesting from Karnal Lok Sabha seat as BJP candidate, had resigned as MLA from Karnal assembly segment.

Khattar had tendered his resignation as MLA in March paving the way for Chief Minister Nayab Saini to contest from there.

Bypolls for Karnal assembly seat are to be held on May 25, along with elections to 10 parliamentary seats in Haryana.

Saini, outgoing Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra, had replaced Khattar as chief minister last month.

After Chautala sent his resignation via messenger, the Speaker asked him to meet him in person this month. However, he was unable to come on that date citing personal reasons.

Chautala had through a messenger sent his resignation to the Speaker on March 24.

Gupta had earlier said that he had written a letter to him that he should appear in person and give clarification regarding his resignation. After he was unable to come on April 23, the Speaker asked Chautala that ''on April 30, he will have to come to give clarification so that we can take a decision (on his resignation).

''Verification of his signature is also required for which he will require to appear in person,'' the Speaker told reporters here recently.

''As Vidhan Sabha Speaker, it is my responsibility that if any member resigns from the Vidhan Sabha, it is for us to verify that the resignation has not been sent under any pressure or compulsion,'' Gupta had earlier said.

Last month, after the BJP replaced Khattar with Saini as the Haryana chief minister, Chautala again became the power minister in the Saini-led BJP government.

As an Independent MLA, Chautala had extended support to the BJP when it fell short of a majority on its own after the 2019 assembly elections. He was later made power and jails minister.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)