Nayab Singh Saini: BJP's surprise pick packs a punch

Months before the Haryana assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party replaced its strongman Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister with low-profile OBC leader Nayab Singh Saini, a decision that surprised many.

On Tuesday, the BJP's gamble paid off with Saini leading the party to victory in the Haryana assembly polls after a dismal showing in the Lok Sabha elections in the state and defying exit poll predictions of a clean sweep for the Congress.

Saini's elevation from the Haryana BJP president to chief minister in March came at a time when the party was facing anti-incumbency following Khattar's tenure of nine-and-a-half years and attacks from a buoyant opposition on farmers' issues, unemployment, Agnipath scheme, inflation, and law and order.

Barely days after Saini, 54, was brought in by the BJP, the Model Code of Conduct came into effect with the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections and later ahead of the assembly elections, effectively giving him only two months to shift the public perception.

Saini quickly got to work, with his cabinet taking some important decisions.

Prominent among these were approving the Haryana Agniveer Policy, 2024, to provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to Agniveers after the completion of their service in the armed forces and giving the go-ahead to a proposal to buy 10 more crops at minimum support price, making Haryana the only state to purchase 24 crops at MSP.

The BJP also promised to provide cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500 under the 'Har Ghar Grahani Yojana'.

The party's poll manifesto made more promises -- monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,100 for women, two lakh government jobs for youths and guaranteed government jobs for Agniveers from Haryana.

The ruling party's poll campaign focused on alleged corruption, favouritism and scams during the Congress rule with Saini crisscrossing the state to tell people about the BJP government's achievements.

The BJP also told voters about the Congress' 'failure' to fulfil poll promises in states like Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.

Notwithstanding the exit poll predictions, Saini had claimed the BJP would return to power in Haryana for a third consecutive term.

"Aath tareekh (Oct 8) ko janta degi jawab, aur yeh (Congress) kahenge EVM hai kharab (The people will respond on October 8 and the Congress will blame EVMs for its defeat)," Saini had said on October 6.

As counting progressed on Tuesday, it became clear by late afternoon that the BJP was headed for a third term.

According to the Election Commission website, the BJP was leading in 49 of the 90 assembly seats, halting a Congress comeback in the state after a decade.

Saini won Ladwa assembly seat by a margin of 16,054 votes against his nearest Congress rival Mewa Singh, according to the Election Commission.

The BJP had said ahead of the polls that Saini would continue to be the chief minister if the party returned to power, even though senior leader Anil Vij also threw his hat in the ring.

After Khattar resigned as chief minister in March, his Karnal assembly seat was vacated. Saini won the seat in a bypoll held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in May, defeating Congress nominee Tarlochan Singh.

Born in Ambala's Mirzapur Majra village on January 25, 1970, Saini served as minister in the Khattar cabinet between 2014 and 2019.

During the past three decades, Saini rose through the ranks in the state BJP. He held positions of district president and general secretary of Haryana BJP Kisan Morcha. He was the state BJP youth wing's Ambala district general secretary in 2002 and became the district president three years later.

He was elected to the Haryana Assembly from Naraingarh constituency in 2014 and to the Lok Sabha from Kurukshetra seat in 2019.

Saini was appointed as the Haryana BJP chief in October 2023 in an effort by the party to strengthen its hold over the OBC community and non-Jats.

His elevation to the chief minister's post was similar to that of Khattar.

After the BJP came to power on its own in 2014, it picked Khattar, then a first-time MLA from Karnal, for the chief minister's post over many senior party leaders like Ram Bilas Sharma, Anil Vij, Capt Abhimanyu and O P Dhankar.

Khattar is a Union minister now.