BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana on Thursday, marking his second stint in the top post. Saini's council of ministers also took oath at the high-profile ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP bigwigs.
Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Saini. The swearing-in took place at the Dussehra Ground in Panchkula, amidst the presence of Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, as well as chief ministers from National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states.
In a sign that all is well within the Haryana BJP, Saini walked on stage at the swearing-in ceremony with his predecessor and mentor Manohar Lal Khattar by his side. Senior leader Anil Vij, who was rumoured to be in the running for Chief Minister, took oath as a minister in the Saini 2.0 Cabinet.
Haryana can have a maximum of 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister. Here are the members of the new Cabinet:
Nayab Singh Saini
Anil Vij
Krishan Lal Panwar
Rao Narbir Singh
Mahipal Dhanda
Vipul Goel
Arvind Kumar Sharma
Shruti Choudhry
Shyam Singh Rana
Ranbir Singh Gangwa
Krishan Bedi
Gaurav Gautam
Arti Singh Rao
Rajesh Nagar
Months after replacing Khattar as Chief Minister, Saini steered the BJP to a historic victory in the October 5 Haryana Assembly elections. Defying exit poll predictions, the saffron party won 48 seats in the 90-member house, ensuring its third straight term in power in the state.
The 54-year-old Dalit leader, who contested and won the Ladwa seat in Kurukshetra district, was unanimously elected the BJP’s legislature party leader in Haryana on Wednesday. He then met Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and staked claim to form the next government in the state.
Saini, the BJP’s prominent OBC face in Haryana, previously served as the Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra. Born in Ambala on January 25, 1970, he earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from BR Ambedkar Bihar University and Charan Singh University.
Active in the BJP’s Haryana unit since 1996, Saini started as district general secretary of the party’s youth wing in 2002, and became district president of the Yuva Morcha in 2005. He later held key roles, including district president of Ambala and general secretary of the BJP Kisan Morcha.
Saini made his electoral debut in 2010 but won his first Assembly seat in 2014 from Narayangarh, joining the Khattar Cabinet. In October 2023, he was appointed Haryana BJP chief.
