The day following his inauguration as Chief Minister of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini successfully passed the floor test during a special session of the state assembly on Wednesday.
Addressing the State Assembly, Saini expressed gratitude for the opportunity, emphasizing his humble origins and lack of familial political ties. He credited the BJP for affording him such a significant role, stating that such opportunities are unique to the party.
Acknowledging his mentorship under former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Saini highlighted his learning process and attention to detail in governance matters.
Prior to his swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhawan, Chandigarh, Saini formally met with Governor Bandaru Dattatreya on Tuesday to stake his claim to form the government, succeeding his predecessor Khattar.
During the ceremony, four BJP leaders – Kanwar Pal Gujjar, Jai Parkash Dalal, Moolchand Sharma, and Banwari Lal – were sworn in as ministers in the Haryana cabinet. Additionally, independent MLA Ranjit Singh took oath administered by Governor Bandaru Dattatreya.
Khattar, the outgoing Chief Minister, was also in attendance. Saini affirmed that the BJP-led government enjoys the support of 48 MLAs and requested the Speaker to conduct the floor test on Wednesday.
Following the dissolution of the BJP-Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) alliance and Khattar’s subsequent resignation, the former CM suggested that disputes over Lok Sabha polls seat allocation might have contributed to the alliance’s breakup.
Nayab Saini, a prominent figure in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, serves as the BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra and assumed leadership of the party in the state last October. Known as a close associate of Khattar, whose tenure is ending this year, Saini’s rise marks a significant transition in Haryana’s political landscape.