BJP's Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday took oath as chief minister of Haryana, where the saffron party scripted history by returning to power for the record third time. Along with Saini, Anil Vij, who has served as state home minister, also took oath as Cabinet minister. Vij, a seven-time MLA, won the election from Ambala Cantt.
Shruti Chaudhary, MLA from Tosham and daughter of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Chaudhary, has also been inducted as a minister in the Saini Cabinet. Shruti is the granddaughter of former Chief Minister Banshi Lal.
Krishan Lal Panwar, who won from Israna, also took oath as minister in Saini's Cabinet. Panwar has served in the Khattar government. He held the transport and housing ministries. He was Rajya Sabha MP from 2020 to 2024.
Rao Narbir Singh, sitting MLA from Badshahpur, is another minister who took oath today.
Krishan Bedi, MLA from Narwana, took oath as Cabinet minister in the Haryana government.
Panipat Rural MLA Mahipal Dhandha, who is a Jat leader, has also been inducted into the Saini Cabinet.
BJP's Faridabad MLA Vipul Goel also took oath as Cabinet minister.
Arvind Kumar Sharma, BJP's Brahmin face and Gohana MLA, has also been inducted into the Saini's Cabinet. He was fielded in the Lok Sabha against Deepender Singh Hooda in Rohtak. Sharma lost the poll to Hooda.
Shyam Singh Rana, MLA from Radaur, also took oath as minister. Rana comes from the Rajput community, which stood rock solid behind the BJP in Haryana.
Two-time MLA Ranbir Singh Gangwa has also been inducted into the Haryana Cabinet. He comes from the OBC community, which accounts for about 40 per cent of the population in the state. He has also served as the deputy speaker in the Haryana Assembly.
Arti Singh Rao, who comes from the Ahir community, also took oath as minister. Rao, daughter of BJP leader and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, won the election from Ateli.
Rajesh Nagar Gurjar, MLA from Tigaon, has also been inducted as junior minister (independent charge).
BJP's Palwal MLA Gaurav Gautam, who comes from the Brahmin community, also took oath as minister in the Saini government.
Saini's oath-taking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP bigwigs like Home Minister Amit Shah, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, and NDA partners such as Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, JDU's Lalan Singh, and others.
Haryana can have a maximum of 14 ministers, including the chief minister. Hours before the ceremony, Saini visited the Valmiki Bhawan and offered prayers at a gurdwara and the Mansa Devi temple in Panchkula. In the recent assembly polls, the BJP secured an unprecedented third term in Haryana, winning 48 seats in the 90-member assembly. The Congress won 37 seats.
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.