Nayab Singh Saini elected leader of BJP legislature party, stakes claim to form govt

PTI Chandigarh/Panchkula: Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday staked claim to form the next government in Haryana, hours after he was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in the state. Saini will take oath as chief minister on Thursday, his second time. In a departure from tradition, the BJP had declared that Saini would remain chief minister if the party returned to power in Haryana after the assembly polls. At a meeting of newly elected Haryana BJP MLAs in Panchkula, Saini was unanimously picked as the leader of the BJP legislature party. His name was proposed by MLA Krishan Kumar Bedi and seconded by Anil Vij, who had thrown his hat in the ring for the chief minister’s post despite the party backing Saini.

The announcement in this regard was made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav attended the meeting as central observers of the BJP. Later, Saini met Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh and staked claim to form the government in the state. Saini had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the chief minister of Haryana in March. The BJP secured an unprecedented third term in Haryana, winning 48 seats in the 90-member assembly. The Congress won 37 seats. During a brief address at the party office in Panchkula, Shah said the BJP is going to form the government in Haryana for a third time.