New Delhi: The stage is set for the installation of the third consecutive BJP dispensation in Haryana with Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday staking claim to form the next government hours after he was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in the state.
The 54-year-old BJP leader will take oath as the chief minister on Thursday for the second consecutive time. Giving a go by to the party tradition of not naming the chief ministerial face ahead of the polls, the BJP had declared that Mr Saini will helm the administration if the party is voted back to power in Haryana.
At a meeting of newly elected Haryana BJP MLAs in Panchkula, Mr Saini was unanimously picked as the leader of the BJP legislature party. His name was proposed by MLA Krishan Kumar Bedi and seconded by senior leader Anil Vij, who had earlier thrown his hat in the ring for the top post despite the party backing Mr Saini.
The announcement was made by Union home minister Amit Shah, who, along with Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, attended the meeting as central observers of the BJP.
Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar, Rao Inderjit Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP leaders Biplab Deb and BJP state unit chief Mohan Lal Badoli also attended the meet.
Later in the day, Mr Saini met Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya at the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh and staked claim to form the government.
The oath ceremony in Panchkula will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Shah, BJP chief J.P. Nadda and the party's top leadership, besides a galaxy of other leaders, including NDA partners. Several ministers are also likely to be sworn in on Thursday.
In his address at the party office in Panchkula, Mr Shah said, “Today is an auspicious day for the BJP and the people of Haryana. The MLAs unanimously gave the responsibility of the top post to Mr Saini.”
He congratulated Mr Saini on behalf of Mr Modi and party workers and credited the Modi government's policies for the BJP's victory in Haryana. He further said that the foundation of Haryana's overall development was laid after Mr Khattar became the chief minister.
The Haryana election results surprised political pundits. Everyone in Delhi had thought the mandate will not be in favour of the BJP, Mr Shah said, adding that while the political pundits were surprised by the Haryana results, the BJP was not amazed.
The Union home minister also lauded the BJP's 10-year rule in Haryana, saying government jobs were given without the "kharchi-parchi" (bribery-favouritism) system, a reference to alleged corruption under the Congress regime.
Mr Shah also credited his party for ensuring the overall development of the state without any bias.
Slamming the Opposition, Mr Shah said, “A misconception was spread by the Opposition on farmers' issues and the Agnipath scheme. Haryana is the only state that is buying all of its 24 crops at the minimum support price. Agniveer Jawans will get pensionable jobs.”
Mr Saini said the people put their stamp on the policies of the Modi government by giving a big mandate to the BJP. People trust Mr Modi's guarantees and have taken the pledge to realise the Prime Minister's vision of a developed India, he added.
Some state BJP leaders maintained that the win is a shot in the arm for the party ahead of next month's polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and bypolls in other states.
Mr Saini, an OBC face, replaced Mr Khattar as the chief minister of Haryana in March ahead of the elections. He also served as a minister in the first term of the Khattar-led government and won the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Kurukshetra.
After Mr Khattar vacated the Karnal Assembly seat in March, Mr Saini won the seat in the bypolls in May. However, in the Haryana polls, the BJP fielded him from Ladwa in Kurukshetra and he bagged the seat.
In a first, the state will witness a third consecutive government by a political party since the inception of Haryana in 1966. Marking an unprecedented victory, the BJP secured 48 seats in the 90-member Assembly while the Opposition Congress could manage only 37 seats. Three Independent MLAs, including Savitri Jindal from Hisar, have extended their support to the BJP.
