Haryana set for new BJP government; Nayab Singh Saini to take oath as CM on October 17
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini
The new BJP government in the Indian state of Haryana is set to be sworn in at 10:00 am (local time)on 17 October. The oath-taking ceremony will take place in Panchkula, according to a statement issued by the party on Saturday (Oct 12).
Nayab Singh Saini will take the oath as the chief minister of Haryana, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in attendance, including his counterparts from other BJP-governed states.
This will mark Saini’s second term as Chief Minister, his first beginning in March after Manohar Lal Khattar stepped down to contest the Lok Sabha elections. His selection to lead the party in the state had come as a surprise, especially with both general and Assembly elections approaching.
After the elections, there was speculation about his future, with rumours circulating of a weak administration and the complexities of balancing caste dynamics. However, BJP insiders mentioned that Saini’s significant role in the party’s electoral success ensured him another term in office.
Saini was initially chosen for the position around 200 days before the elections, following Khattar’s resignation, which cleared the way for him to secure a Lok Sabha seat. The next important task for the BJP will be to finalise the Haryana Cabinet.
The cabinet can have a maximum of 14 members, including the chief minister. This leaves 13 positions to fill, and the BJP will need to bring in at least 11 fresh faces, as only Mahipal Dhanda and Mool Chand Sharma, who were part of Saini’s first administration, managed to retain their seats.
Although exit polls had predicted a clear victory for the Congress the BJP secured a decisive win in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, with vote counting concluding on Tuesday.
Ultimately, the BJP clinched 48 out of the 90 seats in the Assembly, achieving a historic third consecutive victory in the state – a first for Haryana, which had never seen the same party win three times in a row.
The Congress, despite being expected to win over 55 seats and surpass the majority threshold of 46, ended up with just 37 seats, an improvement of six from the 2014 results but still far below expectations.
(With inputs from agencies)
