After registering massive electoral victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the BJP’s highest decision making body, the Parliamentary Board, on Sunday got down to the business of nominating chief ministers for these States, with the surprise endorsement of a decision by Goa BJP MLAs that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stake the claim to be chief minister.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Union Minister for Health J.P. Nadda said his Cabinet colleague, Information and Broadcasting minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, and party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav would be sent as central observers to Uttar Pradesh for the legislature party meeting to be held on March 16.
For Uttarakhand, Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Tomar and party general secretary Saroj Pande have been appointed as central observers for the legislature party meeting, scheduled for the same day.
In the case of Uttar Pradesh, things had swung into motion in the top echelons of the party and the Sangh parivar on Saturday morning even as results were coming in.
According to senior sources in the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal, in charge of coordinating between the BJP and the RSS, on various names being considered for the post of U.P. chief minister.
BJP president Amit Shah met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday afternoon before the parliamentary board meeting for nearly an hour, setting off speculation that Mr Singh could be a front runner in the race for chief minister, a position he has held before. However, no senior leader was willing to confirm any name.
Other front runners include State BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya and Union Minister for Telecommunications Manoj Sinha.
In the case of Uttarakhand too, no confirmation was forthcoming. “Under the Hindu calendar, especially in north India, the period before Holi is not considered auspicious for any such big announcements. The situation in Goa was such that decisions had to be made fast. In U.P. and Uttarakhand, there is no such hurry, ” said a senior party leader.
Congress's charge
The Congress protested against the BJP’s moves to form governments in Goa and Manipur.
“The Modi government through Governors, who are acting as its stooges, is subverting the law and democracy,” its spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh accused BJP's Goa chief ministerial candidate Manohar Parrikar of hijacking the popular mandate.
