Who is Nayab Singh Saini, Haryana’s new Chief Minister?
He is BJP’s OBC face in Haryana, and this is seen as the party’s strategy to consolidate the non-Jat and OBC votes
In a surprise development, BJP’s Nayab Singh Saini was sworn in as the chief minister of Haryana on Tuesday (March 12) hours after the resignation of Manohar Lal Khattar and his cabinet ministers.
Who is Nayab Singh Saini?
The 54-year-old leader has spent about 28 years in the BJP. He was born in the village of Mizapur Majra in Ambala.
Educational background
He graduated with a B.A. from BR Ambedkar University, Mujapharpur in 1996, and went on to complete LLB from Choudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut in 2010.
Why has BJP chosen him?
Nayab Singh Saini is the BJP’s OBC face in Haryana. He belongs to the Saini caste which has a sizeable presence in the state, constituting about 8 percent of the population.
The party’s move to replace Khattar with Saini is seen as part of their strategy to consolidate the non-Jat and OBC votes in Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections later this year. It is also seen as an attempt to counter the anti-incumbency against Khattar. He is considered to be a confidant Khattar.
Saini’s rise through the BJP ranks
He has almost three decades of organisational experience in the BJP, and has risen gradually through the ranks. He was first given a post in the party in 1996.
2002 - Saini became the district general secretary of Ambala BJP Yuva Morcha
2005 – He was promoted to district president of Ambala BJP Yuva Morcha. He was also made the state general secretary of BJP Haryana Kisan Morcha.
2012 - He became the district president of BJP in Ambala.
2010 - He first contested the assembly elections in the Naraingarh constituency, but was defeated by the Congress candidate.
2014 - He fought from the same constituency again, and became the Naraingarh MLA that year.
2016 - He joined the Khattar cabinet as a minister.
2019 - He won the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency by a huge margin of almost 4 lakh votes and entered Parliament as a newly-minted MP.
2023 - He was appointed Haryana BJP president.
March 12, 2024 – Nayab Saini was sworn in as Chief Minister of Haryana.
