CHANDIGARH: The prominent Other Backward Class (OBC) leader, 54-year-old Nayab Singh Saini was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in Haryana on October 16 thus clearing the decks for his second innings as chief minister. He would take oath as Chief Minister in Panchkula on October 17.
The half an hour meeting of the BJP legislature party at the party office Panch Kamal today in Panchkula was attended by all the 48 elected legislators of the party and central observers Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav.
The name of Saini was proposed by Krishan Kumar Bedi MLA from Narwana after which Ambala Cantt MLA Anil Vij endorsed it and all MLAs unanimously backed the choice. "There was only one proposal moved by Narwana MLA Krishan Bedi and it was seconded by Ambala Cantonment MLA Anil Vij in favour of Saini,’’ Amit Shah said declaring Saini as the BJP legislature party leader in Haryana.
Saini will meet Governor Bandaru Dattatraya at Haryana Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh to stake claim to form the government.
It was in March this year Saini took over as the state chief minister from Manohar Lal Khattar and the entire assembly poll campaign revolved around him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah projecting him as the CM face of the saffron party. It was on June 29 this year that Shah for the first time declared Saini as CM face at a rally in Panchkula.
As Shah the chief poll strategist who micro-managed the entire assembly polls along with his trusted lieutenants, being appointed as central observers the saffron party wanted a smooth transition of power in Haryana.
As the oath-taking ceremony will take place on Thursday it will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh besides other union ministers and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states.
The party plans that the swearing-in to be a grand affair to gear up the party cadre for the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls in November and Delhi polls early next year.
The saffron party is making it’s government for the third consecutive term in the Jat heart land as it won 48 seats in the 90-member state assembly and Congress could only win 37 seats.