At a Glance: Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana

Manohar Lal Khattar, the first time MLA who was a dedicated RSS pracharak once upon a time, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Haryana at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula on October 26. Khattar is known to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi's right-hand man in Haryana.His selection is viewed as a major turning point for the BJP in the state as he will be the 4th non-Jat to lead Haryana in the past 48 year's history and also the 1st in last 18 years.Manohar Lal Khattar, 60, is known for keeping a low profile in the party and is known to be a tough task master.Even though he was one of the forerunners for the coveted post of Haryana's Chief Minister, yet little is known about the man who has always preferred to work from behind the curtains.Let us know more about the CM designate of Haryana – Manohar Lal Khattar:Manohar Lal Khattar contested his maiden assembly elections from Karnal constituency of Haryana and won by a margin of 63,000 votes. The BJP high command chose him out of its 47 MLA's to take the responsibility of Haryana's Chief Minister.Khattar was born on May 5, 1954 in Haryana to Harbans Lal in Haryana. The roots of Khattar's family are in West Punjab, now in Pakistan. The family migrated to India during Partition and settled in Nindana village of Haryana's Rohtak district, that is where Khattar was born.Manohar Lal Khattar's father was a poor laborer. But later he opened a small shop in the village. The family subsequently moved to Banyani village and took up farming. Khattar started his basic education at the age of six. He was the first member of his family to study beyond class 10. He studied in Pandit Neki Ram Sharma Government College, Rohtak. Khattar was a bright student and aspired to pursue his dreams of becoming a doctor. However, his family's poor financial condition did not allow him to accomplish his dreams.Khattar decided to move to Delhi and thereby completed his graduation from Delhi University. Here, he resided with his relatives. On completion of his graduation, Khattar borrowed money to open a shop of his own near Sadar Bazar in Delhi.Khattar's parents wanted him to marry but he was resolute to remain abachelor. Khattar joined the RSS in 1977 at the age of 24 and became a fulltime pracharak in 1980.So far he has spent around 35 years with the RSS. Manohar Lal Khattar joined the BJP two decades ago.According to Khattar's election affidavit, his assets total Rs 8.89 lakh, including 20 kanal of agricultural land and a 150-sq yard house in Banyani village in Kalanaur, Rohtak district. His liabilities are Rs 6 lakh, and as an income tax payee, his total income for 2013-14 was Rs 2, 73,315.According to the affidavit, Khattar does not own a vehicle, and earns his living through agriculture and by giving tuitions.In 1994, Khattar was made the Sangathan Mahamantri in Haryana.In 1996, Khattar first began working with Narendra Modi, who was then in-charge of Haryana. He was called upon to manage the 2002 assembly election campaign in Kutch, and was also given charge of the Jammu and Kashmir elections the same year.Since then, Narendra Modi has held him in high esteem.In 1999, he was instrumental in the BJP's withdrawal of support to Bansi Lal's Haryana Vikas Party, and backing Om Prakash Chautala instead.The BJP withdrew support to Bansi Lal government amid reports of an imminent merger of the Haryana Vikas Party with the Congress.In 2004, Khattar got charge of 12 states, including Delhi and Rajasthan. He worked with veteran RSS ideologue Bal Apte, who was then heading the Chunaav Sahayak Yojna. Immediately thereafter, Khattar was made Regional Sangathan Mahamantri for J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh.Khattar was BJP's Organizational Secretary in Haryana from 2000-2004.For the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Khattar was appointed chairman of the BJP's Haryana election committee.Manohar Lal Khattar is a tech savvy much like Modi and some other Indian politicians. He uses Apple laptop and has his own website. Khattar is also quite active on social media which includes Facebook and Twitter.Manohar Lal Khattar is known to be a master strategist. He has a sharp mind for politics. Khattar was appointed Chairmn of the BJP's Haryana election committee for the recent Lok Sabha elections.Khattar may have found favor with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he is perceived as a person from non-influential, minority Punjabi community and an outsider from Karnal. Modi and Amit Shah gave him a nod over Captain Abhimanyu, Ram Bilas Sharma and Krishanpal Gurjar, who too were in the race for Chief Minister's chair.Khattar was reportedly preferred by the party because of his clean image and also for his commitment to the party.Khattar is also known for his conservative views. He had created stir in the past by saying that girls must wear decent clothes to not attract the opposite sex.