BREAKING: Nayab Singh Saini Takes Oath as Haryana CM For 2nd Term, PM Modi Attends Event

Panchkula: BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini took oath as the Chief Minister of Haryana for the second consecutive term on Thursday, October 17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , BJP bigwigs and NDA partners marked their presence at the event. 

Apart from PM Modi, other dignitaries who graced the event included Union Home Minister Amit Shah , BJP national president JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh , Union Minister Chirag Paswan , UP CM Yogi Adityanath , Himanta Biswa Sarma , Delhi LG VK Saxena and other CMs, Deputy CMs, Union Ministers, NDA leaders.

Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Saini, an OBC leader. 

Ministers of Saini's cabinet were also sworn in at the ceremony. Notably, Haryana can have a maximum of 14 ministers, including the chief minister. The swearing ceremony of Saini took place at Dussehra Ground in Sector 5 of Panchkula.

The oath-taking event coincided with Valmiki Jayanati which is commemorated as the birth anniversary of Sage Valmiki who is the author of the Hindu epic Ramayana and a revered figure, especially among Dalits. 

In the recently-concluded Haryana assembly polls, the BJP secured an unprecedented third term in Haryana , clenching 48 seats in the 90-member House. While the Congress secured only 37 seats, tasting a massive defeat.

Saini, 54, was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in a meeting held at the party office in Panchkula on Wednesday. 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.

The 54-year-old had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the chief minister of Haryana earlier in March this year. He emerged victorious on Ladwa assembly seat in Kurukshetra district by a margin of 16,054 votes.

Saini's elevation from the Haryana BJP president to the chief minister in March came at a time when the party was facing anti-incumbency following Khattar's tenure of nine-and-a-half years and attacks from a buoyant opposition on farmers' issues, unemployment, Agnipath scheme, inflation, and law and order.

The BJP's gamble has paid off with Saini paving the way to victory for the saffron party, defying exit poll predictions which had declared a Congress -clean sweep in Haryana.