Nayab Singh Saini will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana at 10 am October 17, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, including Saini’s counterparts from other BJP-ruled states, sources said Saturday.
This will be Saini’s second term; his first began March after Manohar Lal Khattar quit to contest the Lok Sabha election. Mr Saini was seen then as a surprise pick to head the party in the heartland state, particularly with a general and Assembly election on the horizon.
Following the election there was speculation – and amid rumours of an ineffective government and in view of caste equations – he would be replaced, but BJP sources said that having played a key role in the party’s big win, Saini would be given a second shot.
He was first picked for this post about 200 days before the election; his selection was prompted partly by Mr Khattar standing down (and getting a Lok Sabha seat in exchange) and also the BJP’s traditional pre-poll leadership shuffle to ward of anti-incumbency.
Some state leaders argued for Mr Saini, saying he had implemented schemes meant to benefit traders, youths, backward classes and government employees, turning around the anti-incumbency accumulated over the years against Khattar’s government.
The next step for the BJP will be deciding the Haryana Cabinet.
There can be a maximum of 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister. That leaves 13 positions, of which the BJP will need at least 11 new faces because only Mahipal Dhanda and Mool Chand Sharma, from the first Saini government, managed to retain their seats.
Balancing caste equations and communities’ demands while forming a government is not easy, but the BJP has done successfully in the recent past, and it will have to be done again in Haryana.