With over two years as Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini has steadily carved out his own style of governance and politics, marking a visible departure from the functioning of his predecessor and political mentor, Manohar Lal Khattar.
From frequent public interactions during field visits to maintaining cordial ties with Opposition legislators and staying accessible to BJP workers, Saini has focused on building an image of an approachable and grounded leader.
Over time, he has also emerged as an important OBC face for the BJP in the region. Recognising his political significance ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections next year, the party has deployed Saini for campaigning in the neighbouring state as a backward community leader, despite long-pending inter-state disputes such as the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.
Sources say Saini’s governance model rests on a three-pronged strategy — public outreach, administrative functioning and direct engagement with party workers.
Soft-spoken and often seen with a smile, Saini’s informal public interactions occasionally pose challenges for his security staff. During a recent visit to Uklana, he allowed a group of girls to approach him during a public meeting to present a photograph while he was addressing the gathering. Sources said the Chief Minister’s PR team is consciously projecting him as a “common man” who rose from a humble background.
After assuming office, Saini discontinued the ‘Jan Samwad’ programme initiated by Khattar and instead introduced ‘Samadhan Shivirs’, which are now held twice a week by administrative officials to address public grievances.
Unlike the increasing reliance on helicopter travel for chief ministerial tours in recent years, Saini is often seen travelling by road across the state. His visits to the residences of Congress MLAs Kuldeep Vats and Gokul Setia were also projected as part of his accessible and accommodative political image.
Saini is also perceived as more approachable among BJP workers. “He has been able to strike connect with the party workers. Whenever we meet him, he listens to us patiently. On the other hand, Khattar used to be stern in interactions,” said a BJP worker.
The BJP’s decision to appoint Saini as Chief Minister in March 2024 is widely viewed as a strategic move aimed at softening the party’s image ahead of the Assembly elections later that year. When the BJP returned to power for a record third consecutive term in Haryana in October 2024, Saini had emerged as the party’s principal face in the state.
The party had replaced Khattar, whose image was often seen as tough and inaccessible, with Saini in an effort to strengthen outreach among voters and backward communities.
As an OBC leader, Saini is now also being projected prominently in Punjab politics. However, the move carries political risks as Haryana and Punjab continue to remain at odds over several inter-state issues, particularly the sharing of Sutlej and Yamuna waters and the unresolved SYL canal dispute.
However, critics argue that Saini is yet to establish complete control over the bureaucracy.
“With the Chief Minister Office (CMO) largely dominated by the bureaucrats who were also influential during the previous Khattar government, it has given the Opposition leaders an opportunity to call the CM Saini as weak. Obviously, Khattar was assertive and more powerful due to his connections to the BJP’s top leadership, it will take some time for Saini to become assertive in bureaucracy. Bureaucrats know the nitty-gritty of governance more than a politician,” commented Pawan Kumar Bansal, an author of books on Haryana politics.
