NAYAB Singh Saini on Wednesday staked claim to form the next Government in Haryana, hours after he was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in the State. Saini will take oath as Chief Minister on Thursday, his second time. In a departure from tradition, the BJP had declared that Saini would remain Chief Minister if the party returned to power in Haryana after the assembly polls. At a meeting of newly-elected Haryana BJP MLAs in Panchkula, Saini was unanimously picked as the leader of the BJP legislature party. His name was proposed by MLA Krishan Kumar Bedi and seconded by Anil Vij, who had thrown his hat in the ring for the chief minister’s post despite the party backing Saini. The announcement in this regard was made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav attended the meeting as central observers of the BJP.

 

Later, Saini met Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh and staked claim to form the Government in the state. Saini had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the Chief Minister of Haryana in March. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, among others, will attend Saini’s swearing-in ceremony on Thursday. The BJP secured an unprecedented third term in Haryana, winning 48 seats in the 90-member Assembly. The Congress won 37 seats. During a brief address at the party office in Panchkula, Shah said the

BJP is going to form the Government in Haryana for a third time. “Today is an auspicious day for the BJP and the people of Haryana,” he said. Shah said the MLAs unanimously gave the responsibility of the Chief Minister’s post to Saini. The Union Minister congratulated Saini on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party workers. He credited the Modi Government’s policies for the BJP’s victory in Haryana.

 

The Haryana election results surprised political pundits. Everyone in Delhi had thought the mandate would not be in favour of the BJP, Shah said. “While the political pundits in Delhi are surprised, I am not surprised at all,” he said. He also lauded the BJP’s 10-year rule in Haryana and said during its tenure, government jobs were given without the ‘kharchi-parchi’ (bribery-favouritism) system, a reference to alleged corruption under the Congress regime. He also credited his party for ensuring the overall development of the state without any bias.