Nayab Singh Saini takes oath as Haryana CM for second time; PM Modi, Amit Shah among other BJP bigwigs

Nayab Saini oath ceremony: Besides PM Modi and Amit Shah, several Union ministers including Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda, chief ministers of many states also attended the oath-taking event amid tight security.

Nayab Singh Saini was on Thursday sworn in as the chief minister of Haryana for the second time, in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP's top leadership. Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office and secrecy. Saini, 54, on Wednesday met Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and staked claim to form the next government after he was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in a meeting held at the party office in Panchkula.

Nayab Singh Saini replaced Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Manohar Lal Khattar as the Chief Minister in March this year. Saini was also the BJP Haryana state chief for a brief period from 2023 to 2024. He won Kurukshetra's 2019 Lok Sabha election by defeating Congress leader Nirmal Singh with a massive margin of 3,84,591 votes. He later represented the Karnal Assembly seat after becoming the CM and winning a bypoll in June this year. He won by a margin of 41,540 votes against Congress candidate Tarlochan Singh. In the recently concluded Haryana Assembly Elections 2024, Saini defeated Congress candidate Mewa Singh in the Ladwa constituency by a margin of 16,054 votes.  

Nayab Singh Saini lost his first election from the Naraingarh Assembly constituency in 2009 and stood fifth with a dismal 8,082 votes. However, he won the seat in the 2014 Haryana polls by defeating Congress sitting MLA Ram Kishan with a margin of 24,361 votes. He held several ministries, including Labour and Employment, Mines and Geology, and New and Renewable Energy, as Minister of State (MoS) in the Manohar Lal Khattar government.

Party leaders said around 50,000 people attended the mega event. Massive security arrangements were made in the wake of the swearing-in ceremony which took place in Panchkula. Besides Modi and Shah, several Union ministers including Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda, who is also the BJP president, chief ministers of many states, and senior party leaders also attend the oath-taking event.

In the October 5 Haryana polls, the BJP secured an unprecedented third term in the state, winning 48 seats in the 90-member assembly. The Congress won 37 seats. With the BJP forming the government for a third time in a row in Haryana, Saini will be taking oath as the chief minister for the second time.