Saini’s birthday coincided with his 100 days of his second term in office following the spectacular victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the last year’s Haryana elections.
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मुझे जन्मदिवस की शुभकामनाएं देने मुख्यमंत्री आवास संत कबीर कुटीर पर आए प्रदेश के हमारे स्वच्छता-योद्धाओं का आभार प्रकट किया और सपरिवार उनके साथ भोजन किया। pic.twitter.com/wo1HVxwSpH
— Nayab Saini (@NayabSainiBJP) January 25, 2025
In March last year, the BJP’s decision to replace Manohar Lal Khattar with Saini as the Haryana chief minister ahead of the Lok Sabha polls had surprised many because of the latter’s limited experience. Saini had been an MP and an MLA just once.
Less than a year later, the 55-year-old is widely seen not just as a leader who has strengthened the BJP’s position in Haryana, but has also garnered appreciation from across political lines.
Reactions like that of Poonam’s and even from the opposition camp alike come as no surprise to people close to the Ladwa legislator. “When the BJP won 48 seats under his leadership, CM Saini announced he would not take oath until he handed appointment letters to candidates for government jobs. On 17 October 2024, the CM did that to over 25,000 Group-C candidates, before taking his oath of office,” Saini’s media secretary Praveen Attrey told The Print.
“This symbolic act emphasised his commitment to transparency and meritocracy, resonating with the youth of Haryana.”
A BJP leader who has worked closely with the two CMs told The Print that there were several instances when Saini has proved himself as a better and popular politician than Khattar.
Citing the protest against the Haryana government’s e-tender policy for rural development Panchayat works in 2023, the BJP functionary said that Khattar, at that time, adopted a tough stance leading to a standstill in works at the ground.
Soon after becoming the CM, Saini held a meeting with sarpanchs and increased the monetary limit for development works without e-tendering.
Khattar, the BJP functionary said, was known for getting angry with people who made demands at his open meetings with the public. “Even during the assembly polls, he asked a man to leave the venue when he told Khattar that though the BJP will form the next government, his Hisar candidate (Kamal Gupta) would lose.”
Gupta eventually lost to an Independent, Savitri Jindal, who is also the mother of BJP MP Naveen Jindal.
“In contrast, during a visit to Hisar on 10 January, Saini called a couple who attempted self-immolation when the police stopped them to meet him. The couple later complained about police inaction to trace their missing daughter,” the BJP functionary said.
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‘Man of his word’
In a marked departure from Haryana’s political culture, Saini has sought to foster a more inclusive and respectful approach towards opposition leaders like seen in the case of Congress’ Gokul Setia.
While laying the foundation stone for a medical college in Sirsa in November, the CM ensured that Setia, who was reportedly miffed due to a misunderstanding over protocol, was personally invited and given a prominent role. The Congress MLA had praised Saini and shared the stage with him.
Setia told The Print that before Saini’s visit to Sirsa, he had met him at the CM’s office for work related to his constituency and added that Saini immediately instructed the officers to carry out orders.
“He told me he would be coming to my constituency to lay the foundation stone of a medical college and hospital. The day he was to come, the deputy commissioner (DC) did not provide me with the entry pass to the Sirsa airforce station, where Saini was to land. I had a tiff with the DC, but managed to go to the station with my own influence. But, by the time I reached, the CM’s cavalcade had already started coming out,” Setia recounted.
“The moment Saini spotted me, he stopped the cavalcade at the gate of the air force station and made me sit in his car with him. Then, we moved towards the venue. How can one not praise a CM with such qualities?”
Saini is “a man of his word”, the MLA added. “He does what he commits. The best thing about him is that he doesn’t discriminate between constituencies represented by the BJP MLAs and those by the Opposition.”
Another Congress MLA Shalley Chaudhary praised Saini during his tour to Naraingarh on 20 January, saying that he was “a popular leader”. Incidentally, Saini earlier represented Naraiangarh in the Haryana assembly.
‘Shift in governance style’
A senior IAS officer who has worked both during Khattar’s and Saini’s rule told The Print that Nayab Saini is not just popular among people but also among officers.
“In meetings or one-to-one conversations with officers, he (Saini) brightens the atmosphere with his ever-smiling demeanor. But at the same time, he doesn’t lose his firmness when it comes to the implementation of his orders. He listens carefully to all viewpoints before announcing decisions. Even if he doesn’t agree with a point, he never confronts the officer but just moves on by changing the topic,” the civil servant told ThePrint.
Saini, according to the officer, is well-informed and knowledgeable despite being relatively new to the top post.
“During a meeting with bureaucrats, a senior (officer) referred to NABARD as a PSU (public sector undertaking). Saini immediately politely told the officer to correct his knowledge saying that NABARD is not a PSU. ‘NABARD is the apex development bank having regulatory powers on cooperative banks. NABARD is to cooperative banks what RBI is to commercial banks,’ Saini told the officer, much to the surprise of others,” the officer recalled.
“He (the CM) has often been seen stopping to meet people. And his gestures like this doesn’t look like photo ops but appear very genuine, ” the officer said.
In August last year, while on his tour to Rohtak, Saini stopped his cavalcade at a tea stall and prepared tea for himself and others accompanying him. The same month, Saini got out of his car and rode a bullock cart in Jind district. Three months later, the CM was seen trying his hands at preparing ‘jalebis’ at Gohana in Sonipat district.
Saini has come to be more popular than his predecessor Khattar on account of his approachable demeanour, decisive governance and innovative leadership, according to political watchers.
Prof. Kushal Pal, the principal of Indira Gandhi Government College, Ladwa, Kurukshetra district told The Print that when Saini was catapulted to the post of chief minister in March 2024, he was seen as Khattar’s protégé.
“However, within a short span of time, Saini has not only managed to step out of the shadow of his predecessor, but is also proving himself to be a better and more popular chief minister through his accessibility to people and ability to listen to everyone with a smiling face,” Pal said.
He added that when Haryana went to polls in 2024, almost everyone, including BJP leaders, thought that the Congress would come to power. “But it was only because of Saini’s popularity among the masses that the ruling party not just returned to power for the third time, but also with more MLAs than before.”
According to Jyoti Mishra, researcher at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Saini’s first 100 days as chief minister in his second term highlight a shift in governance, compared to his predecessor.
“While Khattar focused heavily on development, particularly infrastructure, and aligning with the BJP’s national agenda, his leadership was often viewed as less accessible and disconnected from local issues. His emphasis on projects and issues, like cow protection and anti-corruption measures, gained attention, but failed to adequately address socio-economic concerns, such as unemployment, agrarian distress and the needs of the marginalised communities,” Mishra told ThePrint.
“In contrast, Saini appears to be adopting a more inclusive, hands-on governance style. His approach emphasises internal party cohesion, working to build trust among various communities in Haryana.”
Saini, she added, has shown a greater focus on directly addressing regional concerns like unemployment and farmer distress, signalling a shift toward more comprehensive welfare policies.
The leadership seems to prioritise accessibility and the involvement of the local populace in decision-making, a marked contrast to Khattar’s more top-down approach, she said. “Saini’s style is pragmatic, seeking localised solutions to pressing issues. He is focusing on strengthening administrative machinery and ensuring that governance reaches the grassroots. His ability to balance internal party unity and regional priorities will be key to determining the success of his tenure.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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