Haryana New Cabinet Ministers: Who Are The Members Of CM Nayab Singh Saini's Team | Check Full List

Haryana New Cabinet Ministers: Haryana saw a brief political uncertainty on Tuesday when Manohar Lal Khattar resigned as the chief minister and, hours later, his confidante and state BJP chief Nayab Singh Saini took oath as his successor. Khattar's resignation came after the BJP and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) broke off their ruling alliance in Haryana following differences over seat-sharing ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

At Saini's oath-taking ceremony, five other leaders were also sworn in as members of his council of ministers. The leaders inducted in the newly formed Cabinet of CM Saini include four BJP MLAs and one Independent legislator. The newly appointed ministers under CM Saini are Kanwar Pal Gujjar, Mool Chand Sharma, Ranjit Singh Chautala, Jai Prakash Dalal, and Banwari Lal.

Who Is Nayab Singh Saini?

An influential figure within the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, Saini is the BJP's Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra and was appointed the party's Haryana unit president in October last year. Saini, who was elected MLA for the first time in 2014 and has since served as a minister, is regarded as Khattar's confidante.

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. Saini's appontment as the CM may help the BJP strengthen its hold among the OBC community.

Political observers also believe that the new face at the helm is part of the BJP's strategy of changing chief ministers and resetting the cabinet ahead of assembly polls to thwart anti-incumbency, an exercise previously done in Uttarakhand and Gujarat where the party repeated its governance, news agency IANS said in a report.

Haryana New Cabinet Ministers

Kanwar Pal

Kanwar Pal is the incumbent MLA from Haryana's Jagadhri Assembly constituency. He is serving his second term as the representative of Jagadhri in the Haryan Legislative Assembly. Kanwar Pal served as the Assembly Speaker from 2014 to 2019. He belongs to the Gujjar community, which has a sizeable population in Haryana.

Mool Chand Sharma

Mool Chand Sharma is the BJP's sitting MLA from the Ballabhgarh Assembly constituency. He is currently serving his second consecutive term as the constituency's MLA. Sharma was the cabinet minister of transport in the previous Haryana government under Khattar. He also the portfolios of mines and geology, higher education, and elections, Hindustan Times said in a report.

Jai Prakash Dalal

Jai Parkash Dalal is the current MLA of Haryana's Loharu Assembly constituency, which falls under Haryana's Bhiwani district. He joined the BJP in 2014 and has since held multiple important posts within the party, including Haryana unit vice president, in-charge of BJP Kisan cell, and Jind district in-charge.

Banwari Lal

Banwari Lal was elected as the MLA of Bawal constituency in the 2019 Haryana Assembly polls. The BJP leader was appointed as the minister of co-operation, and minister of scheduled classes and backward classes in the Khattar government.

Ranjit Singh Chautala

Ranjit Singh Chautala is the son of late Chaudhary Devi Lal, who served twice as the deputy prime minister of the country. Ranjit Singh Chautala is an Independent MLA who was elected to represent the Rania constituency in the 2019 Haryana Assembly election. He has previously been in the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the Janata Dal, the Congress party, and the BJP. 

In 2019, Ranjeet, along with his grandson Dushyant Chautala, formed a post-poll alliance with the BJP. With this, he managed to secure three ministerial berths -- new and renewable energy, power, and jails -- in the Khattar government.

(With inputs from agencies)