Why BJP Chose Nayab Singh Saini As The Haryana Chief Minister (image:twitter.com/BJP4Haryana/)

To choose Nayab Singh Saini as the new chief minister of Haryana is a strategic decision by the BJP. Ahead of Lok Sabha polls and Assembly polls later this year, placing Nayab Singh Saini as the party”s face is reasonable on many grounds.

OBC Vote Bank: Haryana comprises close to 44 percent of other backward communities (OBCs). To garner the support of the community vote banks, as a first step, the party selected Nayab Singh Saini, an OBC leader, as the state chief last year, replacing Om Prakash Dhankar, a Jat leader. As per the PTI reports, the non-dominant OBC caste votes are significant for the BJP”s advancement in several states. In the upcoming elections, the party plans to contest in 10 Lok Sabha seats, which include Hisar and Bhiwani, the western districts that comprise significant OBC populations. The BJP also thinks that by choosing Nayab Singh Saini, an OBC figure, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi”s call for a caste census and his attempts to lure OBC votes can also be halted.

Dismantling Anti-Incumbency: This was Manohar Lal Khattar”s second term as Haryana Chief Minister. The anti-incumbency factor which may have been facing by the Haryana government cannot be neglected entirely. Since the assembly elections are coming in October, anti-government sentiments need to be closely in check. In 2021, the party”s surprise attempt to choose Pushkar Singh Dhami as Uttarkhand chief minister was one such move. Although the Modi wave can yield votes in the Lok Sabha polls, local issues demand attention in the Assembly polls.

Marching With Fresh Faces: Nayab Singh Saini joins the recent gang of the BJP”s selection of fresh faces, including the recently-elected Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav and Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. Similarly, in December last year, Vishnu Deo Sai was chosen as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh.