Nearly a week after the Assembly results in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the BJP has set a date for announcing the names of Chief Ministers of the two States.
The BJP’s Uttarakhand legislature party group will meet central observers, Union Minister Narendra Tomar and BJP national general secretary Saroj Pandey, on Friday afternoon to elect a leader, the choice increasingly coming around to national secretary of the party Trivendra Singh Rawat, sources say.
State unit chief Ajay Bhatt announced in Dehradun that the swearing-in of the new Chief Minister would be held on Saturday.
The central observers for Uttar Pradesh, Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, will be in Lucknow on Saturday to hold a BJP legislative party meet to elect a leader. The party’s parliamentary board had empowered BJP president Amit Shah to name the Chief Ministers in these States.
U.P. giving jitters
While the case of Uttarakhand seems to be more or less clear (barring any last-minute surprises), Uttar Pradesh has been giving the jitters to contenders and their supporters. State unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, a front runner in the race was, on Thursday, admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital with low blood pressure and attendant complaints.
Another senior leader’s aides irritated at queries about the fate of their boss for the Chief Ministerial-ship stakes said, “ Gaon basa nahin, lootere pehle aagaye (the robbers have arrived even before the village has been settled),” a comment on the fact that the name of the new Chief Minister is being held close to the chest, within a close circle .
Party president Amit Shah has consulted with his senior colleagues like Union Minister Rajnath Singh (who is also considered a contender for the post), Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Kalraj Mishra in the last week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Shah have both been in touch with RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal as well. “The RSS bigwigs are now in Coimbatore for the pratinidhi sabha, so whatever had to be conveyed with regard to CM choices has been done,” said a senior source in the party.
