A day after results were announced for Assembly polls in five States, the BJP wrestled with a quandry in Uttarakhand as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lost his seat amid the party’s victory. In Manipur, there were murmurs about the continuation of current Chief Minister N. Biren Singh with several aspirants vying for the post.
In Punjab, the Aam Admi Party’s Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Singh Mann said he would be taking oath on March 16; the party has also planned a road show in Amritsar on March 13 along with Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.
Following the massive victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday chaired his last cabinet meeting at the party office in Lucknow. Later in the day, he tendered his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel at Raj Bhavan in Lucknow. Later in the day, Mr. Adityanath tendered his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel at the Raj Bhavan in Lucknow. Sources said the new Cabinet would be sworn in only after Holi. Speculation is rife that a majority of the present Cabinet Members will not find a berth in the new formation.
MGP support in Goa
In Goa, BJP appeared assured of its numbers as three independent MLAs pledged support to the party, as also the Maharashtrawadi Gomanatak Party (MGP) with two MLAs, taking its figure in the 40 member Assembly to 25.
“We have won 20 seats and MGP has given their letter of support and three independent MLAs have also given their letter of support to us. So we are in a majority,” said Goa BJP presient Sadanand Shet Tanavade. Some MLAs objected to the addition of MGP to the NDA ranks as they had fought against the BJP in the polls and the campaign was marked by a bitter war of words. The Central leadership however not taken such a view and is happy at the comfort in numbers.
The BJP’s dilemma in Uttarakhand is whether to reappoint Pushkar Singh Dhami as chief minister in the State despite his defeat or elect another MLA from the current lot of MLAs or dispatch a suitable Member of Parliament from the State to take over as Chief Minister.
A day after the BJP won 47 seats out of 70 in the State, Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan had been sounded out that they would be observers (no official announcement has been made, though) for the meeting of the Uttarakhand BJP Legislature Party, the date for which has also not been set.
“The problem is that Pushkar Singh Dhami has done much to stabilise a losing situation for the BJP after he was appointed chief minister, the third that year. He lost the polls. In Himachal Pradesh Dhumalji (former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal) had also lost the polls while leading the party and a new chief minister Jairam Thakur was appointed from among those who had managed to win their seats. So it is not cut and dried that Dhami would be appointed and within six months be elected from a seat vacated for him by an elected MLA,” said a source.
“The same bypoll scenario will have to be explored if MPs like Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhat are considered. Among the elected MLAs, the choice could devolve around Dhan Singh Rawat, who has been a minister in the past and is from the Thakur community, Vinod Kandari who won from a tough seat and was State Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president at the time that Union minister Anurag Thakur was BJYM national president and Arvind Pandey who has also been minister in the past and is from the Brahmin community,” added the source.
Mann to take oath in Bhagat Singh’s village
Mr. Mann, who had been named the AAP’s face in the Punjab Assembly polls met with party leader Arvind Kejriwal. MLAs of the party have started gathering in Chandigarh as government formation efforts intensified.
“I’ve invited party convener Arvind Kejriwal for the swearing-in ceremony. Now swearing-in will not be held in ‘Mahals’ but in villages of freedom fighters. We’ll take oath in the village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh on March 16 as a tribute to him,” mf Mann said.
Murmurs in Manipur
In Manipur, there were murmurs about the continuation of current Chief Minister N. Biren Singh after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent attack on dynastic politics throughout the campaign for these Assembly polls.
“One of our victorious candidates is the son-in-law of the Chief Minister,” said a BJP leader referring to Rajkumar Imo Singh who won from the Sagolband Assembly constituency for a third term. Even before the polls there was talk of change but the BJP took a call to continue with Mr Singh. Delhi has remained silent and unlike in the past not appointed observers yet for a legislature party meet yet.
“We have a Parliamentary Board that will name the next Chief Minister in consultation with the State unit leadership,” said State BJP president Sharda Devi.
Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (U) and the Naga People’s Front (NPF) are likely to join as allies of the BJP government with six and five seats respectively, to add to the BJP’s kitty of 32 seats in the 60-member House.
