In a surprising development ahead of the announcement of poll schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Haryana BJP president Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday took oath as the state’s new Chief Minister, hours after Manohar Lal Khattar and his entire cabinet resigned from their respective posts.

The 54-year-old Kurukshetra MP, who is considered as Manohar Lal Khattar’s confidante, was sworn in as the Haryana Chief Minister during a swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh this evening.

Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office to Nayab Singh Saini during the swearing-in ceremony.

Four BJP leaders Kanwar Pal Gujjar, Jai Parkash Dalal, Moolchand Sharma, and Banwari Lal took oath as new ministers in the Haryana cabinet. Also, one independent MLA Ranjit Singh was administered oath by Governor Bandaru Dattatreya.

Former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar was also present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Soon after the swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nayab Singh Saini for becoming the Chief Minister of Haryana.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Congratulations to Shri @NayabSainiBJP Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Haryana. Wishing him and his team of Ministers the very best for their efforts in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Haryana.”

Earlier, Saini met Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya to formally stake claim to form the government in the state, replacing his predecessor, senior BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar.

Saini was elected leader of the BJP legislator party following the resignation of the Chief Minister for nine years Manohar Lal Khattar.

Earlier in the day, Khattar resigned from the state Chief Minister hours after the BJP alliance with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) broke. The entire Khattar cabinet had also resigned. The JJP led by Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala had 10 MLAs in the Haryana Assembly. Khattar submitted his resignation letter to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won all 10 parliamentary seats while JJP, which had contested the elections in alliance with AAP, could not put up a fight on 7 seats it contested.

The BJP has 41 MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, in which the majority mark is set at 46. The government will be backed by six independent MLAs.

An influential figure within the OBC, or Other Backward Classes, community, Nayab Singh Saini, was appointed Haryana BJP state president in October last year. He won the Kurukshetra constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by more than 3.83 lakh votes over his nearest challenger, Nirmal Singh of the Indian National Congress (INC).

The Kurukshetra MP, who was elected MLA for the first time in 2014 and has since served as a minister. The Saini caste accounts for around 8 per cent of the Haryana population, with a substantial presence in pockets of Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Hisar, and Rewari districts which will have significant impact on Lok Sabha elections.

Saini’s involvement with the BJP began in 1996, when he joined the Haryana BJP’s organisational structure, serving alongside the state general secretary until 2000. He rose through the ranks to become the district general secretary of the BJP Youth Wing in Ambala in 2002, followed by his appointment as district president in 2005.