Who is Nayab Singh Saini, Haryana's next CM after Manohar Lal Khattar resigned?
Nayab Singh Saini was elected as BJP legislature party leader after Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar submitted his resignation to Governor Bandaru Dattatreya.
The BJP legislature party in Haryana elected Nayab Singh Saini as its leader, paving the way for the state unit chief to take up the chief minister's office after Manohar Lal Khattar's exit.
“Hearty congratulations and best wishes to State BJP President Shri @NayabSainiBJP ji on being elected as the leader of the legislative party,” BJP Haryana- in-charge Biplab Deb said in a post on X.
“I am confident that he will take forward the development works of Haryana started under the guidance of Honorable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and the leadership of chief minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar ji and will take the state forward in terms of development,” he said.
Manohar Lal Khattar resigned on Tuesday amid apparent cracks in the ruling coalition of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). Khattar tendered his resignation to Bandaru Dattatreya at Raj Bhawan ahead of BJP's legislature party meeting.
A central team of BJP comprising Union minister Arjun Munda and former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb went in the state to oversee the changes.
The ties between the BJP and deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala-led JJP worsened following their failure to reach a seat-sharing agreement in the state for the Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP claims to have the numbers to cross the halfway mark despite JJP snapping the ties. At present, the BJP has 41 MLAs in the 90-member House while the JJP has 10. The ruling combine also enjoys the support of six of seven independents. The main opposition Congress has 30 MLAs and the Indian National Lok Dal and the Haryana Lokhit Party have one seat each.
There is speculation that a new cabinet might be sworn in this evening.
Also Read: How BJP plans to survive potential Haryana crisis
Who is Nayab Singh Saini?
Kurukshetra MP Nayab Singh Saini, who hails from the OBC community, was appointed as the state president of Haryana BJP in October last year.
Saini's journey within the BJP began in 1996, when he started within the Haryana BJP's organisational framework, working alongside the sate general secretary until 2000. Progressing through the ranks, he assumed the role of district general secretary of the BJP Youth Wing in Ambala in 2002, followed by his appointment as the district president in Ambala in 2005.
His dedication to the party led him to hold various significant positions, including state general secretary of the BJP Kisan Morcha in Haryana in 2009 and district president of Ambala BJP in 2012.
His political career soared when he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Narayangarh constituency in 2014, followed by his appointment as a minister in the Haryana government in 2016.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Nayab Singh Saini defeated his nearest rival Nirmal Singh of the Indian National Congress (INC) from the Kurukshetra constituency with a margin of over 3.83 lakh votes.
Saini, who became MLA for the first time in 2014 and remained a minister, is considered a confidante of Manohar Lal Khattar. Political analysts say electoral and caste calculations appear to have catapulted the Lok Sabha MP to the post of Haryana BJP chief as Khattar apparently wanted a leader of his camp to head the state unit.
The population of the Saini caste is considered around 8% in Haryana with a sizable presence in pockets of Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Hisar and Rewari districts.
