CM Nayab Singh Saini
BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini is poised to take the oath of office as the Chief Minister of Haryana on October 15 at a ceremony scheduled to take place at the parade ground in Panchkula. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several Union Ministers, Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states, and key party officials, are expected to attend the event.
Preparations Underway for Oath Ceremony
To ensure smooth arrangements for the ceremony, the Chief Secretary has established a 10-member committee headed by the Panchkula District Commissioner.
Saini recently met with Prime Minister Modi and other senior BJP leaders in Delhi, following the party’s impressive victory in the Haryana Assembly elections, where they secured 48 seats—11 more than the Congress party.
BJP’s Electoral Triumph
As caretaker Chief Minister, Saini led the BJP to a remarkable win, overcoming a decade of anti-incumbency challenges. Party insiders believe he will be retained as Chief Minister, given the BJP’s significant majority in the 90-member Assembly.
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The Congress party emerged as the second-largest party with 37 seats, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won just two seats. Additionally, independent candidates garnered three seats and extended their support to the BJP, while both Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failed to win any seats.
Legislature Party Meeting Scheduled
The BJP Legislature Party plans to convene the day before the oath-taking ceremony in Chandigarh to elect its leader, who is widely expected to be Saini, a non-Jat leader representing the Other Backward Classes (OBC). Saini replaced veteran BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar as Chief Minister just two months before the Lok Sabha elections.
Saini’s Victory in Ladwa
In the recent elections, Saini secured his seat in the Ladwa constituency by defeating Congress candidate Mewa Singh by a margin of 16,054 votes. Notably, eight out of ten ministers from Saini’s outgoing cabinet faced defeat in the elections, with only Mahipal Dhanda and Mool Chand Sharma managing to retain their seats.
Potential Cabinet Appointments
Among those likely to receive Cabinet positions are seasoned BJP lawmaker Anil Vij, as well as Dalit leaders such as Krishan Lal Panwar and Krishan Bedi. Additionally, first-time female candidates Arti Rao and Shruti Chaudhry are being considered for ministerial roles, representing OBC and Jat communities, respectively.
Saini’s Leadership and Achievements
Saini, who became Chief Minister in March to counter anti-incumbency against Khattar, claimed significant developmental progress during his brief tenure, asserting he made 126 historic decisions for Haryana’s advancement in just 56 days.
Political Background and Future Plans
With nearly 30 years in politics, Saini began his journey as an MLA from Naraingarh in 2014 and joined the Cabinet in 2016. He initially aimed to contest from Karnal but was later nominated for Ladwa, deemed a safer choice for the party following its strong performance in recent elections.
On September 15, Anil Vij, a senior party leader, indicated he would claim the Chief Minister position if the BJP returned to power. However, the party’s state in-charge, Dharmendra Pradhan, quickly reaffirmed Saini’s leadership as the party’s chief ministerial candidate.
