Nayab Saini’s oath as Haryana Chief Minister today, PM, BJP brass to attend

Nayab Singh Saini will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana today, October 17, in a high-profile ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other top BJP leaders.

The event, set to take place in Panchkula, will also be attended by Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, along with chief ministers and their deputies from BJP-ruled states.

Months after replacing his mentor Khattar as Chief Minister, Saini steered the BJP to a historic victory in the October 5 Haryana Assembly elections, securing 48 seats in the 90-member house, giving the party its third consecutive term.

The 54-year-old Dalit leader, who contested and won the Ladwa seat in Kurukshetra district, was unanimously elected the BJP’s legislature party leader in Haryana. He then met Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and staked claim to form the next government in the state.

Saini will take oath as Chief Minister for the second time. Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli told news agency PTI that besides BJP leaders, opposition figures, social organisations, and “progressive farmers” will also attend the event.

Massive security arrangements have been made for the swearing-in ceremony, which is expected to draw a crowd of around 50,000 attendees. Fourteen large LED screens will be set up at the venue to allow spectators to view the event, while a traffic advisory has been issued to manage the large turnout.

After the ceremony, PM Modi will chair a crucial meeting of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders and representatives at Hotel Lalit in Panchkula from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.