Union Minister Amit Shah with Nayab Singh Saini (Photo: PTI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nayab Singh Saini is set to be sworn in as the chief minister of Haryana on Thursday. The oath-taking ceremony, scheduled for 11 am, will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other prominent leaders.
Saini stakes claim to form government
On Wednesday, Saini, 54, met with Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya to formally stake his claim to form the next government after being unanimously chosen as the leader of the BJP legislative party during a meeting at the party’s Panchkula office.
Haryana CM oath ceremony: Tight security arrangements in place
To ensure smooth proceedings, extensive security measures have been put in place for the event, which will take place in Panchkula. The event is expected to draw a crowd of approximately 50,000 people, with 14 large LED screens installed at the venue to facilitate public viewing.
In addition to Modi and Shah, several union ministers, including Rajnath Singh and BJP President JP Nadda, along with chief ministers from various states and senior BJP leaders, are expected to attend the ceremony.
Haryana Governor Dattatreya will oversee the administration of the oath of office and secrecy. According to Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli, prominent leaders from various political parties, “progressive farmers,” “Lakhpati Didis,” and representatives from social organisations have been invited to the event. He also noted that the swearing-in coincides with Valmiki Jayanti on October 17.
Haryana Assembly elections
In the recent October 5 Haryana Assembly elections, the BJP secured its third consecutive term in the state, winning 48 out of 90 Assembly seats. The Congress party received 37 seats, and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) got two.
This will mark Saini’s second term as chief minister, following the BJP’s third consecutive victory in Haryana. Breaking from tradition, the BJP had previously announced that Saini would continue as chief minister if the party retained power in the state.
Saini, an OBC leader from Kurukshetra’s Ladwa constituency, was appointed as chief minister earlier this year, replacing Manohar Lal Khattar. The decision, made just months before the Assembly elections, was seen as a bold move by the BJP, but it ultimately paid off, with Saini leading the party to a successful outcome in the polls.
Saini’s appointment in March came at a challenging time for the party, which was dealing with anti-incumbency sentiments following Khattar’s nine-and-a-half-year tenure. In addition, the party faced criticism from the Opposition over various issues, including farmers’ concerns, unemployment, the Agnipath scheme, inflation, and law and order.
Saini had only a few months to shift public sentiment before the Assembly elections, as the Model Code of Conduct took effect soon after his appointment, first for the Lok Sabha elections and later for the Assembly polls.
Haryana polls: Exit polls proven wrong again
Exit polls showed that the Congress party could make a comeback in Haryana after a decade, potentially ousting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Assembly elections. According to a Bhaskar Reporters’ Poll survey, Congress was projected to secure between 44 and 54 seats, while the BJP might be limited to 19 to 29 seats.
Regional parties like the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) might see their influence diminish significantly, with both expected to secure only a handful of seats, according to the survey. The INLD-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance was predicted to win between one and five seats, a marginal improvement from INLD’s one-seat result in 2019.
Similarly, the JJP, which won 10 seats and played a key role in forming the last government by allying with the BJP, was forecasted to win just one seat alongside its new ally, the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram).
Another exit poll by Republic Matrize predicted Congress could win 55 to 62 seats, while the BJP might secure up to 24 seats. The INLD could win as many as six seats, with other parties expected to claim between two and eight seats.
Haryana elections: Congress alleges EVM tampering
While votes were being counted, Congress general secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh said that in the EVMs where the BJP was leading, the battery levels were at 99 per cent, while EVMs showing battery levels between 60 and 70 per cent tended to have Congress in the lead.
