Nayab Singh Saini is set to take the oath as the chief minister of Haryana in a ceremony happening in Panchkula this Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with key BJP leaders and NDA partners, will be in attendance. Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Saini, marking his second term as chief minister.

The ceremony is also expected to see the swearing-in of Saini’s cabinet, which can include a maximum of 14 ministers, counting the chief minister. In preparation, massive security measures have been put in place for the event.

In the recent Haryana polls on October 5, the BJP clinched an unprecedented third term, securing 48 out of 90 seats in the assembly, while the Congress managed to win 37 seats. 

Saini, 54, was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party during a meeting at the party office in Panchkula on Wednesday. In a break from tradition, the BJP had announced that Saini would continue as chief minister if the party maintained power in Haryana after the elections.

Previously, Saini, who is seen as an OBC face of the party, took over from Manohar Lal Khattar in March. He won the Ladwa assembly seat in Kurukshetra district by a notable margin of 16,054 votes.

Saini’s rise from Haryana BJP president to chief minister came during a challenging time for the party, which faced anti-incumbency issues after Khattar’s nine-and-a-half years in office and criticism from the opposition on various fronts, including farmers’ issues, unemployment, the Agnipath scheme, inflation, and law and order.

The BJP’s gamble paid off, with Saini leading the party to a surprising victory, defying exit poll predictions that favored the Congress.