New Delhi:

Nayab Singh Saini will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana at 10 am October 17, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, including Mr Saini’s counterparts from other BJP-ruled states, sources said Saturday.

This will be Mr Saini’s second term; his first began March after Manohar Lal Khattar quit to contest the Lok Sabha election. Mr Saini was seen then as a surprise pick to head the party in the heartland state, particularly with a general and Assembly election on the horizon.

Following the election there was speculation – and amid rumours of an ineffective government and in view of caste equations – he would be replaced, but BJP sources said that having played a key role in the party’s big win, Mr Saini would be given a second shot.

He was first picked for this post about 200 days before the election; his selection was prompted partly by Mr Khattar standing down (and getting a Lok Sabha seat in exchange) and also the BJP’s traditional pre-poll leadership shuffle to ward of anti-incumbency.

READ | BJP To Stay With Nayab Saini As Haryana Chief Minister: Sources

Some state leaders argued for Mr Saini, saying he had implemented schemes meant to benefit traders, youths, backward classes and government employees, turning around the anti-incumbency accumulated over the years against Mr Khattar’s government.

The next step for the BJP will be deciding the Haryana Cabinet.

There can be a maximum of 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister. That leaves 13 positions, of which the BJP will need at least 11 new faces because only Mahipal Dhanda and Mool Chand Sharma, from the first Saini government, managed to retain their seats.

Balancing caste equations and communities’ demands while forming a government is not easy, but the BJP has done successfully in the recent past, and it will have to be done again in Haryana.

READ | After Haryana Win, Caste Equations That May Influence BJP’s Cabinet Picks

The BJP recorded an (ultimately) convincing victory in the 2024 Haryana Assembly election, counting for which was held on Tuesday. Exit polls predicted a clear win for the Congress and the opposition party raced into an early lead. But by 10 am the tables had turned.

The BJP eventually won 48 of the state’s 90 seats for a historic third straight Assembly election victory; Haryana had never before elected the same party three times running.

The Congress finished with 37 seats – six more than it won in 2014 but a poor return considering the party was supposed to win at least 55, well over the majority mark of 46.

READ | “First Time In Haryana A Party Is Coming Back For 3rd Term”: PM

Speaking in Delhi after the Haryana election win, Prime Minister Modi lavished praise on party workers and followers and lashed out at the Congress, which he called, among other things, a “parasitic party” that wins only when powered by its alliance partner.

READ | “Arrogant, Overconfident”: Allies Twist Knife On Congress’ Haryana Loss

The Congress has come under heavy fire from its INDIA bloc allies after the Haryana election win, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) particularly scathing. The Congress and the Thackeray Sena are expected to contest next month’s Maharashtra election together.

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New Delhi:

The business of winning a historic third consecutive election completed, the Bharatiya Janata Party has now switched focus to forming the new Haryana government, specifically the constitution of a cabinet with a nod to caste equations in the heartland state. 

The party’s 48 newly elected lawmakers are expected to meet later today, but it is the central leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on which all eyes rest.

There can be a maximum of 14 ministers in the Haryana government including Chief Minister-elect Nayab Singh Saini, who met Mr Modi at his residence in Delhi Wednesday. 

Sources told NDTV the BJP has already sanctioned a second (and first full) term for Mr Saini.

READ | BJP To Stay With Nayab Saini As Haryana Chief Minister: Sources

So that leaves 13 open positions, of which the BJP will have to look for 11 new faces because only Mahipal Dhanda and Mool Chand Sharma, have retained their seats.

Balancing caste equations and communities’ demands while forming a government is not an easy task, but it is one the BJP has done successfully in the recent past; in December last year, after winning the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh elections, the party took its time to announce chief ministers and cabinets, consulting MLAs and state leaders.

NDTV Explains | BJP’s 2024 Gameplan Behind Hattrick Of Heartland Surprises

Similar measures will likely be necessary in Haryana, where the BJP now has nine MLAs from the Dalit community, eight with Punjabi origins, seven Brahmins, and six each from the Jats and the Yadavs. The party now also has Gurjars, Rajputs, Vaishyas, and an OBC leader.

The BJP has nine Dalit MLAs in this government, two of whom are at the forefront. One is six-time MLA Krishna Lal Panwar and the other is two-time MLA Krishna Bedi.

Among the eight with Punjabi origins is seven-time MLA and ex-Home Minister Anil Vij, who sulked in March after he was not made Chief Minister; this was after then Chief-Minister Manohar Lal Khattar stepped down following his nomination to a Lok Sabha seat.

Last month Mr Vij, who won his Ambala Cantonment seat, threw his hat into that ring for a third time but was again passed over, and that might create a bit of a problem for the party.

READ | BJP’s Anil Vij Says Will Stake Claim For Haryana Chief Minister Post

Then there is Jind MLA Krishnan Middha, who won his seat for a third straight time.

Another now three-time MLA is Ghanshyam Das Arora from Yamunanagar, but his appointment may be skipped since his seat lies within the Ambala region.

Mr Arora may be passed over for Vinod Bhayana, the three-time MLA from Hansi.

Then there are the Brahmins. 

Among them is three-time MLA from Ballabgarh Mool Chand Sharma, who will likely be retained in the Cabinet. Another possible is two-time Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sharma who won Gohana, and Ram Gautam, who delivered Safidon, which the BJP had never won.

The key for the BJP are six MLAs from the Ahirwal belt that voted, once again, overwhelmingly for the party. That support was crucial this time to defeat the Congress.

Among them is six-time MLA Rao Narbir Singh from Badhsahpur; he was not in the first Saini government but was in that headed by Mr Khattar after the 2014 election win.

Aarti Rao, the daughter of veteran junior Union Minister Rao Indrajit, won the Ateli seat for the first time, but her name is nevertheless on a shortlist, as is two-time MLA Laxman Yadav.

And then there are the Jats, one of the largest of Haryana’s sub-populations.

Jat leader Mahipal Dhanda is now a two-time MLA from Panipat (Rural) and is likely to be retained. Krishna Gehlawat, elected for the second time from Rai, is also in this race. A possible big new name is Shruti Chaudhary, the daughter of the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Chaudhary.

Other possibles include ex-minister Vipul Goyal from the Vaishya community.

READ | India’s Richest Woman Savitri Jindal, 2 Independents Back Haryana BJP

But perhaps the biggest name here is Savitri Jindal, India’s richest woman and an independent MLA from Hisar, who formally offered her support to the BJP last night.

The Rajput community may get Shyam Singh Rana and three-time MLA Harvinder Kalyan may be the Road community rep. Ranbir Gangwa could represent the OBC community; he was the Deputy Speaker in the previous government. Rajesh Nagar, a two-time MLA from Tigaon could be the Gurjar pick.