EXHIBIT (31.2)

                    CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO THE SECTION 302
                        OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I,  Arthur E. Chandler, certify that:

1.  I  have  reviewed  this  annual report on Form 10-K of Harleysville Group
    Inc.;

2.  Based  on  my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
    of a material fact or omit to  state a material fact necessary to make the
    statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
    were made, not misleading with  respect  to  the  period  covered  by this
    report;

4.  The  registrant's  other  certifying  officers  and  I are responsible for
    establishing   and  maintaining  disclosure  controls  and  procedures (as
    defined in Exchange Act  Rules 13a-15(e)  and 15d(e)) and internal control
    over  financial reporting  (as  defined  in  Exchange  Act Rules 13a-15(f)
    and 15d-15(f) for the registrant  and  have:

    a) Designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures, or  caused  such
       disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision,
       to  ensure  that  material  information  relating  to  the  registrant,
       including its consolidated  subsidiaries, is made known to us by others
       within those entities, particularly  during the period  in  which  this
       report  is  being  prepared;

    b) Designed  such  internal  control  over financial  reporting, or caused
       such internal control over  financial  reporting  to be designed  under
       our  supervision,   to  provide   reasonable  assurance  regarding  the
       reliability of financial  reporting  and  the  preparation of financial
       statements for external purposes in accordance with generally  accepted
       accounting  principles;

    c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and
       procedures and presented  in this  report  our  conclusions  about  the
       effectiveness of the  disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end
       of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;  and

    d) Disclosed  in  this  report  any  change  in  the registrant's internal
       control over financial reporting that  occurred during the registrant's
       most recent  fiscal  quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in
       the case of an annual  report)  that  has  materially  affected,  or is
       reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  the  registrant's internal
       control over financial reporting;  and

5.  The  registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on
    our  most recent  evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,
    to the registrant's auditors and the audit  committee  of the registrant's
    board of directors  (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

    a) All  significant  deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
       operation  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  which are
       reasonably likely to  adversely  affect  the  registrant's  ability  to
       record, process, summarize and report financial information;  and

    b) Any  fraud,  whether or not material, that involves management or other
       employees  who  have a  significant  role in  the registrant's internal
       control over financial  reporting.


Date:  January 6, 2006                /s/  Arthur E. Chandler
                                      ----------------------------------------
                                      Arthur E. Chandler
                                      Senior  Vice President and
                                      Chief Financial Officer*


* Arthur E. Chandler was appointed as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of the registrant on April 27, 2005.

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