Saini stakes claim to form govt, swearing-in today; ‘auspicious day for Haryana’, says Shah

Ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, the BJP declared Saini as the party’s chief ministerial face.

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Union Minister Amit Shah and Nayab Singh Saini in Panchkula on Wednesday. (Jasbir Malhi)

Nayab Singh Saini Wednesday staked claim to form the next government in Haryana, hours after he was unanimously elected as the BJP state legislature party leader. Saini (54) will take oath as CM Thursday for the second time, even as the BJP will form the government for a record third consecutive term.

The BJP, in a departure from tradition, had announced that Saini — an OBC leader who had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar in March— will remain the CM if party returned to power. BJP stormed to power with best-ever tally of 48 seats of a total 90. It also has secured the support of three Independent MLAs.

Earlier, at a meeting of the newly elected MLAs in Panchkula, Saini was unanimously elected the leader of the BJP legislature party.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the central observer for legislature party leader election, announced Saini’s unanimous election. “Today is an auspicious day for the BJP and the people of Haryana,” Shah said and congratulated Saini on behalf of PM Narendra Modi and credited the party-led Union government’s policies for BJP’s victory in state.

Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, the other central observer, Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar, Rao Inderjit Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan and state party chief Mohan Lal Badoli and BJP state in-charge Biplab Deb were also present.

The leaders later proceeded to the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh where Saini met Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and staked claim to form the government.

The swearing-in ceremony in Panchkula will be attended by Modi, Shah, BJP chief J P Nadda, besides a host of other leaders, including NDA partners and CMs of states ruled by party and its allies.

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Including the CM, Haryana can have a maximum of 14 ministers. Among the front runners for Cabinet berth are Anil Vij, Krishan Kumar Bedi, Rao Narbir Singh, Krishan Lal Panwar, Vipul Goel, Harvinder Kalyan, former deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa and former MP Arvind Sharma. Among woman legislators, Arti Rao (daughter of Rao Inderjit Singh), Shruti Choudhry (granddaughter of former CM Bansi Lal), Krishna Gahlawat and Independent MLA Savitri Jindal are the frontrunners.

Addressing MLAs and leaders at BJP office in Panchkula, Shah said the Haryana election results surprised political pundits. “Everyone in Delhi had thought the mandate would not be in favour of the BJP. While the political pundits in Delhi are surprised, I am not surprised at all,” Shah said.

Shah said the foundation of Haryana’s overall development was laid after Khattar became the CM. “I want to say publicly that there was no village where development work of less than `8 crore was carried out,” he said, adding the party decided to assign Khattar a responsibility at the Centre and fight the elections under youth leader Saini, “and under his leadership, we have won for a third time”.

A misconception was spread by the opposition on farmers’ issues, Shah alleged. He said Haryana was the only state which was buying 24 crops at MSP. In the third term, the BJP government will again provide a corruption-free dispensation, with focus on welfare of the poor, farmers and jobs for youth, he said.