BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini took oath as the Chief Minister of Haryana for the second time, in the record third consecutive term for the party.

Saini’s swearing in at the Dussehra Ground in Sector 5, Panchkula, Chandigarh, was accompanied by that of his 15-member council of ministers. They include former Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana Anil Vij, and MLAs Shruti Choudhary, Arti Singh Rao, Rajesh Nagar, Gaurav Gautam, Arvind Kumar Sharma, Shyam Singh Rana, Ranbir Singh Gangwa, Krishan Bedi, Lal Panwar, Rao Narbir Singh, Mahipal Dhanda, and Vipul Goel.

Vij was not considered for the ministerial post in Saini’s first regime after the former had quit due to a public spat with former CM Manohar Lal Khattar.

Dignitaries present

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other senior colleagues from the government, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, were present at the swearing in ceremony as Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office to Saini and his 13 ministers. NDA leaders including Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and Maharashtra CM Enknath Shinde were also in attendance.

The Haryana polls delivered an unexpected result, giving a clean mandate to the BJP, in contrast to the 2019 Assembly polls that led to a hung assembly. The party bagged 46 out of 90 seats as the results were declared on the October 5. 

The Congress, expecting to return to power after a decade, won 37 constituencies, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) got two seats. 

The BJP chose Valmiki Jayanti for the swearing-in ceremony to send a message to Dalits.

Saini, an OBC leader, was made the CM for the first time in March to offset anti-incumbency against his predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar, who is now a Union Minister.

That said, the BJP could win only 5 out of 10 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, which was its worst performance since 2014.

‘Heartfelt gratitude’

Saini tweeted to express his “heartfelt gratitude” to the 2.80 crore people for the mandate that kept the development and reconstruction of Haryana going.

“I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving me, a worker coming from a common family like mine, the opportunity to become the Chief Servant of Haryana. Prime Minister, your special affection towards Haryana gives us unlimited energy to work hard continuously. Under your inspirational leadership, Haryana is touching new heights of development every day. This nonstop journey of development will continue in the State. For the third time with a full majority, the BJP government will work with full energy and enthusiasm for good governance, equality and welfare of the poor,” he posted on the social media.

Saini was first elected as MLA from Naraingarh in 2014, and later inducted into the State Cabinet in 2016 under Khattar. He rose through the party ranks after becoming an MP from Kurukshetra in the 2019 by defeating Congress’s Nirmal Singh. He was the State BJP president before becoming the CM.

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