Nayab Singh Saini delivers Haryana hat trick for BJP

PTI, Chandigarh: Months before the Haryana Assembly polls, the BJP replaced its strongman Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister with lowprofile OBC leader Nayab Singh Saini, a decision that surprised many. On Tuesday, the BJP's gamble paid off with Saini leading the party to victory in the Haryana Assembly polls after a dismal showing in the Lok Sabha elections in the state and defying exit poll predictions of a clean sweep for the Congress. Saini's elevation from the Haryana BJP president to chief minister in March came at a time when the party was facing anti-incumbency following Khattar's tenure of nine-and-a-half years and attacks from a buoyant opposition on farmers' issues, unemployment, Agnipath scheme, inflation, and law and order.

Barely days after Saini, 54, was brought in by the BJP, the Model Code of Conduct came into effect with the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections and later ahead of the assembly elections, effectively giving him only two months to shift the public perception. Saini quickly got to work, with his cabinet taking some important decisions. Prominent among these were approving the Haryana Agniveer Policy, 2024, to provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to Agniveers after the completion of their service in the armed forces and giving the go-ahead to a proposal to buy 10 more crops at minimum support price, making Haryana the only state to purchase 24 crops at MSP.

The BJP also promised to provide cooking gas cylinders at Rs 500 under the 'Har Ghar Grahani Yojana'. The party's poll manifesto made more promises -- monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,100 for women, two lakh government jobs for youths and guaranteed government jobs for Agniveers from Haryana. The ruling party's poll campaign focused on alleged corruption, favouritism and scams during the Congress rule with Saini crisscrossing the state to tell people about the BJP government's achievements. The BJP also told voters about the Congress' "failure" to fulfil poll promises in states like Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.