Haryana ministry swearing-in put off

Chandigarh, Nov 5 : Barely 12 hours before new ministers were to be inducted in the Congress's second successive government in Haryana under Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the swearing-in ceremony was postponed, an official said Thursday evening.

The swearing-in ceremony was to take place Friday at 11 a.m. at the Haryana Raj Bhawan.

"The swearing-in ceremony has been postponed," a state government spokesman told IANS.

Though no reason was assigned officially for postponement of the ceremony, Congress sources said it was due to differences within the party over who all should figure in the ministry.

Hooda was sworn-in the chief minister Oct 25 after the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly in the Oct 13 assembly polls. However, his council of ministers could not be inducted owing to pressures within the party.

The Congress fell short of a simple majority in the assembly by six seats.

The party got the support of all seven Independent legislators and the lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) member in the assembly.

The Congress has also been trying to hobnob with the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) led by former chief minister Bhajan Lal and his son Kuldeep Bishnoi. The HJC has six legislators in the assembly.

--IANS