• Source:JND
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Haryana News:  Emerging as a 'dark horse' for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini led it to a surprising yet stupendous poll victory in the Haryana assembly elections in 2024. While the pre-poll speculations and all the Exit Polls faded in the background, the backward class leader, a comparatively lesser-known face - Saini - pulled a shocker on the Congress. The saffron camp was leading on 49 seats as per the latest poll data around 4:30 PM on Tuesday, while the Congress party followed with 36 seats.

Saini not only sailed the party to a historic third term with a clear majority in a 90-seat house but also registered an impressive win on the Ladwa seat with a whopping 16,054 votes margin on the INC candidate Mewa Singh.

Saini To Return As Haryana CM

While he turned BJP's bleak hopes into a thumping victory march, a section within the party was against Nayab Singh Saini as the party's CM face. However, as the picture cleared and the BJP's return for a third term became evident, party sources said that Saini would continue as the Chief Minister for a third term. According to NDTV, despite his short stint and caste angle, the leadership will likely go with Saini to lead the next five years in a state dominated by Jat politics.

Picked Up 6 Months Ahead Of Polls

Nayab Singh Saini had replaced the then Chief Minister of Haryana ML Khattar just 200 days ahead of the Haryana polls. While BJP's step was seen as a strategic pre-poll reshuffle, some political experts termed it as a lethal bet. While Khattar was taken to the cabinet, Saini took over the reins of a dwindling cadre and electoral base marred with anti-incumbency.

Saini's Six Months' Toil Paid Off

Nayab Singh Saini rolled out a number of fresh schemes aimed strategically at youths, backward classes, merchants and government employees. He announced various recruitment examinations to cater to the dissatisfaction of the unemployed youth in the state.

Saini successfully thwarted the anti-incumbency accumulated over the decade-long BJP rule by announcing schemes such as Haryana Agniveer Policy, 2024 to provide job opportunities to the Agniveers. He also started an initiative to provide free medical check-ups at government hospitals across the state. Above all, Saini's image as a soft-spoken leader of people played a key role in his electoral pull-off.