After the formation of Narendra Modi-led NDA Government at Centre, the focus now shifts to the States — Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunchal Pradesh and Sikkim- where also Government formation is in process after the simultaneous polls with Lok Sabha were conducted.
While Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president Prem Singh Tamang was sworn in as Chief Minister of the Himalayan State on Monday, BJP legislature party of Odisha and TDP legislatures in Andhra Pradesh have convened a meeting on Tuesday to elect the Chief Minister of their States and new Governments will take oath on Wednesday. BJP has appointed Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupendra Yadav to oversee the selection of the new Chief Minister of Odisha.
The other winning State of BJP is Arunachal Pradesh which secured 46 seats in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly led by incumbent CM Pema Khandu. While the results were declared on June 2 along with Sikkim, the swearing in ceremony was delayed due the party's preoccupations in Delhi as Modi was to take oath for the third time.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which is the major partner of BJP in NDA has also convened its Legislature Meeting on June 11 to elect N Chandrababu Naidu as the leader and the oath ceremony is being scheduled for Wednesday.
BJP secured a majority by winning 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. However, the party is yet to choose a leader who will be at the helm of the State. While the chance of senior Odisha MP Dharmendra Pradhan becoming the next Chief Minister of the State seems bleak after his induction into the Modi 3.0 Government, the focus is now on Brajarajnagar MLA-elect Suresh Pujari, who returned from New Delhi on Monday.
Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, the BJP's Odisha in-charge, said, "The legislature party meeting will be held on Tuesday and the new Government will take oath on June 12." "Experienced leaders led by newly-appointed observers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav will hold a discussion with the legislators," Pujari told the media.
Besides Pujari, state BJP president Manmohan Samal, KV Singh and Mohan Majhi are also in the race for the Chief Minister's post.
However, the BJP leadership might also spring a surprise as it had done in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh by announcing CMs, whose names had not been anticipated by political experts, a senior leader said recently.
The party has proposed to conduct a road show of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the State Capital before the swearing-in ceremony on June 12. BJP also bagged 20 of 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Naidu after the meeting would meet Governor S Abdul Nazeer and stake claim to form the Government to be sworn-in on Wednesday. NDA won a landslide victory in the recently concluded simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the southern State.
Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president Prem Singh Tamang was sworn in as Chief Minister of the Himalayan State on Monday. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at a function held in Paljor Stadium here.
Tamang, 56, became the Chief Minister for a second consecutive term. The SKM returned to power in Sikkim by a landslide victory, winning 31 seats in the 32-member Assembly.
The Opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which ruled the State for 25 years in a row till 2019, could manage only one seat. Modi congratulated Tamang on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Sikkim and wished him a fruitful tenure.
