Sat Oct 19 19:34:00 UTC 2024: Published – October 20, 2024 01:04 am ISTOn October 17, Haryana saw a significant moment in State politics as the Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) Nayab Singh Saini, 54, took oath as the Chief Minister of the State for the second term. Not hailing from any political family, Mr. Saini, who first became Chief Minister in March 2024 after incumbent Manohar Lal Khattar’s resignation, helped the party win the election for the third straight time.
With 48 seats in its kitty in the 90-member Assembly, the BJP saw its best performance in the State. In 2014, when the party first came to power in the State on its own, it had won 47 seats.
In Haryana where around 36 communities make up its social mosaic, the BJP placed its bet on Mr. Saini, who belongs to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), and it appeared to have paid off. The BJP’s electoral strategy centred around the consolidation of ‘non-Jats’, primarily the backward classes.
The BJP first replaced Mr. Khattar with Mr. Saini as Chief Minister, apparently to offset the ‘anti-incumbency’ effect.
Seen as a modest, soft-spoken and yet assertive leader in political circles, Mr. Saini blended well with State’s political milieu that spins around coalitions of castes.Born on January 25, 1970 in a farmer family in Mirzapur of Haryana’s Ambala district, Nayab Singh Saini joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at a young age. His long association with the Sangh is seen as a key factor behind his meteoric rise in politics.
While working with the RSS, Mr. Saini came into contact with Mr. Khattar, and eventually became his close aide, which helped him secure the top job earlier this year when Mr. Khattar stepped down. In the run-up to the Assembly election, the Congress ran a campaign surrounding ‘farmers, soldiers and wrestlers’, targeting the BJP. Mr. Saini led the party from the front to counter the opposition’s narrative. The BJP’s micro-management at the booth level and the works of the BJP and RSS cadres appeared to have helped the party extend its decade-long rule in Haryana even amid tough challenges posed by the opposition.
Mr. Saini’s ‘common man leader,’ image as well as his down-to-earth style (he was easily approachable for his colleagues and the public) also helped the party beat the odds.
A law graduate, Mr. Saini soon after assuming the office, reiterated that his government was committed to working for people’s welfare. On October 18, his first Cabinet meeting gave nod to implement the recommendations of the Haryana Scheduled Castes Commission’s report on the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs). Following this, within the 20% quota reserved for the Scheduled Castes in direct recruitment to government services, 10% will be reserved for candidates from ‘deprived’ Scheduled Castes.The Cabinet also approved free dialysis services for patients suffering from serious kidney disease in the State. Assuring the farming community, as the paddy season was under way, the Chief Minister stated the State government is committed to procuring every single grain produced by farmers. These decisions and assurances are seen as an attempt by the BJP Chief Minister to firm up the party’s position among Dalits, farmers and other backward sections.
Mr. Saini’s political career started in Haryana in 1996 when he joined the BJP. In 2002, he became general secretary of the party’s youth wing (BJP Yuva Morcha) in Ambala district and three years later, its district president. Mr. Saini had also held the position of State general secretary of the party’s farmers wing (Haryana BJP Kisan Morcha). In 2012, he was appointed as the BJP president of Ambala district as he continued to climb up the political ladder.
He took the electoral plunge in 2009, but lost in the Naraingarh constituency. In 2014, however, the story was different. This time, Mr. Saini registered a thumping victory from the same constituency even as the BJP, for the first time, formed its government in Haryana.
In Mr. Khattar’s Cabinet, Mr. Saini was inducted as a Minister of State. Later, in 2019, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Kurukshetra constituency. Rising through the ranks, Mr. Saini became the Haryana BJP chief in October 2023. In March 2024, as the party was preparing for the coming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, Mr. Saini was elevated as Chief Minister.He later won a byelection from the Karnal assembly seat, which was vacated by Mr. Khattar, who is now a Minister in the Union Cabinet. In the 2024 Assembly election, Mr. Saini was elected from the Ladwa assembly constituency.
Pawan Saini, a former BJP MLA, who has been closely associated with the Chief Minister for decades, asserts that Mr. Saini’s humbleness and commitment towards his work and the organisation is his key to success. “He is exceptionally humble and has a strong work ethic, an eye for detail, and the drive and ambition necessary to succeed. Besides, his ability to take along his colleagues is notable,” he said.
“For long, both of us have been working together as we share neighbouring constituencies (Ladwa and Naraingarh). In 2014, we both became MLAs, and he was inducted into the Ministry. Yet, he ensured to take me along at all events, meetings, etc. He would make sure that we travelled in the same vehicle. He has a knack for making people feel comfortable,” added Mr. Pawan Saini.
Now that Mr. Saini has assumed his second innings as Chief Minister, the task ahead would be a daunting one, which will test his organisational and governance skills. Before the 2024 Assembly election, when Mr. Saini was appointed as Chief Minister, his focus was on bucking the ‘anti-incumbency’ sentiment against the BJP.He took measures addressing issues related to youth-unemployment and farmers’ unrest. He announced a quota for ‘Agniveers’, after the completion of their service in the armed forces, in select government jobs.
To woo farmers, he announced that the State government would buy 10 more crops at a Minimum Support Price, making Haryana the only State to purchase 24 crops at MSP.
While these decisions may have had an impact on the voters, after the election, the focus has shifted to the road ahead. Mr. Saini and the BJP had made huge promises during the campaign — providing a ₹2,100 monthly assistance for women, creating 2,00,000 government jobs, providing scooter for college-going female students in rural areas, etc.
For a State which has a debt liability of ₹3 lakh crore, meeting these promises itself would be an uphill task. But Mr. Saini seems ready for the challenge.Published – October 20, 2024 01:04 am IST
Haryana Assembly Elections 2024 / Haryana / Bharatiya Janata Party / The Hindu Explains / The Hindu Profiles
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