When the BJP selected Nayab Singh Saini as the chief minister of Haryana in March to counter anti-incumbency, many doubted that a leadership change alone could secure electoral success.
However, the unassuming OBC leader defied expectations by leading the party to a third consecutive victory in the state. Although not widely known, Saini replaced the influential Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister and became the BJP’s key figure when he was sworn in on Thursday.
‘The dark horse’
The 54-year-old proverbial ‘dark horse’, who steadily rose through the ranks of the Haryana BJP, transformed both his and his party’s image in a state many believed would be won by Congress.
The BJP secured 48 seats in the 90-member assembly, with support from three independents, including Hisar MLA Savitri Jindal.
Born in Mirzapur Majra village in Ambala on January 25, 1970, Saini served as a minister in Khattar’s cabinet from 2014 to 2019.
Over the past three decades, he held various positions within the Haryana BJP, such as district president and general secretary of the party’s Kisan Morcha.
In 2002, he was appointed the state BJP youth wing’s Ambala district general secretary and three years later, he became the district president.
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He was elected to the Haryana Assembly from the Naraingarh constituency in 2014 and later to the Lok Sabha from the Kurukshetra seat in 2019.
Saini’s appointment as Haryana BJP chief in October 2023 was part of the party’s strategy to solidify its support among OBCs and non-Jats.
When he became chief minister in March, the BJP named Mohan Lal Badoli as the state party president in July.
Saini’s rise
Saini’s rise from party president to chief minister came as the BJP grappled with anti-incumbency after Khattar’s nine-and-a-half-year tenure, facing criticism from a resurgent opposition on issues like farmers’ protests, unemployment, the Agnipath scheme, inflation and law and order.
Following Khattar’s resignation in March, his Karnal assembly seat was vacated. Saini won the seat in a bypoll held during the Lok Sabha elections in May, defeating Congress candidate Tarlochan Singh.
Saini’s tenure began just as the Model Code of Conduct came into force for the Lok Sabha elections, followed by the assembly polls, leaving him only two months to sway voters.
He swiftly got to work, with his cabinet making key decisions, including the approval of the Haryana Agniveer Policy, 2024, which offered employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to Agniveers after their service.
The cabinet also approved the purchase of 10 additional crops at minimum support price (MSP), making Haryana the only state to buy 24 crops at MSP.
The promises
The BJP’s campaign promises included providing cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500 under the ‘Har Ghar Grahani Yojana’, monthly financial aid of Rs 2,100 for women, two lakh government jobs for youths and guaranteed jobs for Haryana’s Agniveers.
Saini’s campaign highlighted corruption and favoritism under Congress rule while promoting the BJP’s achievements.
The BJP also criticized Congress for failing to deliver on its poll promises in states like Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana.
Despite exit poll predictions, Saini remained confident, stating that the BJP would secure a third term. “On October 8, the people will respond and Congress will blame the EVMs for their defeat,” Saini said just days before the election.
In the October 5 assembly polls, Saini won the Ladwa assembly seat by a margin of 16,054 votes. Breaking from tradition, the BJP had already declared that Saini would remain chief minister if the party retained power, even though former minister Anil Vij had shown interest in the position.
At a meeting of BJP MLAs on Wednesday, Saini was unanimously chosen as the leader of the BJP legislature party, with Vij among those endorsing his leadership.
(With inputs from PTI)