BJP state president Nayab Singh Saini is set to become the new Chief Minister of Haryana, succeeding Manohar Lal Khattar.
Hours after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar along with his cabinet resigned from their positions on Tuesday, BJP state president Nayab Singh Saini was declared the new chief minister. The Kurukshetra MP, who hails from the OBC community, was appointed as the state president of Haryana BJP in October last year. He will be sworn in at 5 pm.
He was selected after a meeting of the BJP’s legislative party, at which junior Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda and National General Secretary Tarun Chugh were told MLAs wanted a new hand at the helm ahead of the Lok Sabha election in April/May and an Assembly election later this year. Haryana BJP MLA Krishan Lal Middha said, “Nayab Singh Saini to be next CM of Haryana. All people are now going to meet the Governor…”
Who is Nayab Singh Saini
Nayab Singh Saini’s political journey within the BJP began in 1996. Starting within the Haryana BJP’s organisational framework, he diligently worked alongside the state general secretary until 2000. Progressing steadily, Saini assumed pivotal roles within the party, serving as the district general secretary of the BJP Youth Wing in Ambala in 2002, and later being appointed as the district president in Ambala in 2005.
Saini’s political trajectory witnessed a significant boost when he secured victory as a Member of the Legislative Assembly MLA from the Narayangarh constituency in 2014. His leadership qualities led to his appointment as a minister in the Haryana government in 2016, further solidifying his position within the party.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Nayab Singh Saini defeated his nearest rival Nirmal Singh of the Indian National Congress (INC) from the Kurukshetra constituency with a margin of over 3.83 lakh votes.
Saini, who first became an MLA in 2014 and subsequently served as a minister, has emerged as a trusted confidante of Manohar Lal Khattar.
Haryana Political crisis
Khattar and his cabinet ministers submitted their resignations to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya. The development came amid speculation of cracks emerging in the state’s ruling BJP and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) coalition over seat sharing ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. While JJP was demanding two seats — Hisar and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh — for the upcoming polls, the BJP was adamant to contest on all 10 seats across Haryana.
The cabinet comprised 14 ministers, including Khattar and three members of the Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala-led JJP. All have resigned.
At present, the BJP has 41 MLAs in the 90-member House while the JJP has 10. The ruling combine also enjoys the support of six of seven independents. The main opposition Congress has 30 MLAs and the Indian National Lok Dal and Haryana Lokhit Party have one seat each.
The BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019.
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