Nayab Singh Saini stakes claim to form govt in Haryana

Chandigarh: BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini met Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday and staked claim to form the next government in the state, party sources said.

This comes hours after Saini was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in Haryana at a meeting in Panchkula which was also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav as central observers of the party.

Saini's name was proposed by MLAs-elect Krishan Kumar Bedi and Anil Vij.

The BJP won 48 of the 90 assembly seats in the recent Haryana polls while the Congress won 37.

Saini will take oath as chief minister on Thursday.

The swearing-in ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, among others.