BJP Appoints Nayab Saini as Haryana State Chief, Om Prakash Dhankar Replaced

Chandigarh: In anticipation of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Haryana assembly elections, the BJP made a significant leadership change on Friday. Om Prakash Dhankar, the party's previous state chief and a prominent Jat leader with a history of key roles within the party at both state and national levels, including serving as the national president of the BJP Kisan Morcha, has been appointed as the party’s national secretary. Dhankar, aged 62, held the position of state chief since July 2020, completing his term in July this year.

Replacing Dhankar is Nayab Saini, the Member of Parliament from Kurukshetra. Saini, 53, who hails from the Other Backward Classes (OBC), previously served as an MLA from the Naraingarh seat and held ministerial positions in 2016. He has a rich history of involvement in various roles within the state unit of the party.

This strategic move is seen as an attempt by the BJP to garner support from the OBC community, alongside the influential Jats, a significant portion of the state's vote bank. Additionally, it aims to challenge the vote banks of rival parties such as the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in the upcoming elections.