Nayab Singh Saini gets backing of Haryana MLAs, to take oath as CM today

CHANDIGARH: Nayab Singh Saini , who was, as expected, elected leader of BJP legislature party, will take oath as Haryana CM Thursday, a date chosen by PM Modi to mark anniversary of sage Valmiki.

Home minister Amit Shah enlisted the party's senior-most legislator Anil Vij , who had staked claim to the CM's post during the campaign, to propose Saini's name during a 30-minute meeting of newly-elected MLAs at BJP headquarters in Panchkula Wednesday. "MLAs Krishan Kumar Bedi and Anil Vij proposed the name of Saini which was approved by all. I announce Saini as the leader of the legislature party," Shah said.

On March 12, when BJP named Saini as Manohar Lal Khattar's successor during a meeting held at Haryana Niwas, Chandigarh, Vij had abruptly left the meeting, abandoned his security and took a private car to reach his residence in Ambala. Rumours swirled that Vij, a seasoned neta, was unwilling to accept the junior Saini as his superior. Further signalling his discontent, Vij declined any ministerial roles in Saini's cabinet after the latter took oath on March 13.

Although Vij and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh had indicated during the campaign that they were contenders for CM's job, the leadership always appeared to be favourably inclined towards Saini. Though backed by Khattar, Saini's affable style and accessibility helped sand out the unpleasant memories of the two tenures of his predecessor who had earned goodwill by bringing transparency in recruitment to put an end to the "cash-for-jobs" scheme widely perceived to have been rampant under Congress's decade-long run, but whose "rough and brusque" style during his second term created a wall between the government and the people. Saini managed to bridge that gap, while his OBC background turned out to be a big electoral plus.

Besides backing of OBCs, support of Dalits played a major role in BJP's surprise victory and Modi's choice of Valmiki Jayanti for the swearing-in is seen simultaneously as a thanksgiving gesture to Dalits and a celebration of the defeat of Congress's narrative that BJP was plotting to abolish caste quotas.

Sources said Modi pencilled in the birth anniversary of the author of Ramayana as soon as he was presented with a set of options.

The PM also scheduled a meeting of CMs and deputy CMs of 16 NDA-governed states in Chandigarh on Thursday. Leaders of all NDA parties will be present in what is expected to be a major show of strength before the Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls.

At the BJP meeting, Shah said it was the first time that a party had returned to office for the third time in a row in Haryana and credited Modi for the victory. "Since our PM had been in-charge of the state for BJP, he has great understanding about the needs, issues and problems of the people of Haryana. When he was sworn in as PM for the first time, we decided to fight polls without any alliances and formed the government. Khattar worked for nine-and-a-half years before the party utilised his services at the Centre and appointed Saini as the CM. Now, we have contested and won the election under his leadership," Shah said.

Others present in the meet included BJP's poll in-charge for Haryana Dharmendra Pradhan and co-in-charge Biplab Deb, Union ministers Khattar & Rao Inderjit Singh.

Hours after the meeting, Saini met Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya and staked claim to form the government.