Nayab Singh Saini was on Thursday elected as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party in Haryana, paving the way for him to become the state's next chief minister. His name was proposed by senior BJP leaders Anil Vij and Krishan Bedi during a meeting of newly elected Haryana BJP MLAs at the party's office in Panchkula.
The meeting was attended by Union home minister Amit Shah and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, who served as central observers. Other prominent leaders present included Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana BJP election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, and co-incharge Biplab Deb.
"On behalf of the people of Haryana, I would like to welcome Amit Shah. I am very happy that the central leadership of the party appointed four in-charge and they all worked towards making BJP win in Haryana for the third time with a big mandate. I would like to thank Dharmendra Pradhan and others," said Saini after he was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in Haryana.
The BJP leaders will meet Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at Haryana Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh at 2pm to stake claim to form the government.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP leaders will meet Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at Haryana Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh at 2pm to stake claim to form the government.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP secured its third consecutive term in the Haryana assembly elections, winning 48 seats in the 90-member assembly, while the Congress secured 37 seats. The results of the polls were declared on October 8.
Saini's official swearing-in ceremony as chief minister is scheduled for Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Shah, and defence minister Rajnath Singh expected to attend the event.
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony slated for October 17, BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh and the party's Haryana affairs in-charge Satish Poonia held a separate meeting on Monday in Panchkula to review preparations for the event. The meeting, held at the BJP office, was also attended by former state assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta and former Karnal MP Sanjay Bhatia.
Following the meeting, the BJP leaders visited Dussehra ground, the venue of the oath-taking ceremony, to inspect the preparations. Tight security arrangements are being made at the venue, officials said.
Sanjay Bhatia, who is the coordinator of the swearing-in ceremony, said October 17 will be a historic day for Haryana.
"The BJP is going to form the government for the third time. The public has put its stamp of approval on the path of progress that Haryana has taken. Winning for the third consecutive time is a proof of the public's unwavering faith in our government," Bhatia said.
With PTI inputs