After much deliberation, former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh member Manohar Lal Khattar was on Tuesday elected as Haryana’s new Chief Minister.
Having got a majority on its own for the first time in Haryana, the BJP legislative party meeting concluded here after electing Khattar as legislature party leader.
Khattar is the first non-Jat Chief Minister of Haryana in 18 years.
The 60-year-old Khattar, a new face in electoral politics, was fielded from Karnal Assembly seat from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his poll campaign in the state and he has emerged as the frontrunner.
A first-time MLA, Khattar has no administrative experience, but he is stated to have been a good RSS organiser for the past 40 years. He won Karnal seat by 63,736 votes.
Khattar, a Punjabi by origin, is stated to be close to Prime Minister Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.