A day after Manohar Lal Khattar’s surprise resignation, the BJP legislators met to choose their new leader in Haryana. After detailed deliberations, the party elected Nayab Singh Saini for the top post.
Saini’s appointment is seen as an attempt to stitch together a new alliance that can cross the halfway mark in the Assembly. As state BJP chief, the 55-year-old Kurukshetra MP enjoys Khattar’s trust and comes from an influential caste group in the state.
A party loyalist since the 1990s, Saini has steadily risen through the ranks over the years. From roles in the youth wing to state general secretaryships, he has contributed tremendously to strengthening the BJP organization in Haryana.
His big breakthrough came in the 2014 elections when he won from Narayangarh and was inducted into the Khattar cabinet. In 2019, he registered a landslide victory in his current Lok Sabha seat.
With Khattar stepping aside for now, sources say Saini was handpicked, considering his acceptability across sections. He will likely be sworn in as CM soon, along with a new team.
However, it remains to be seen if Saini can gather the numbers required following the rift with Dushyant Chautala’s JJP. Turbulent days may lie ahead for the state’s political landscape in this game of shifting alliances.
