Aware of the internal fissures plaguing the State party unit, the BJP high command is taking its time to pick the Chief Minister among the number of hopefuls waiting with bated breath for the final announcement. Not to leave anything to chance, CM hopefuls like Satpal Maharaj, Trivendra Singh Rawat and Ajay Bhatt keep camping in Delhi, desperately trying to communicate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the national party president Amit Shah. The only exception is Pithoragarh MlA Prakash Pant who, while oozing confidence, has chosen to stay put in Dehradun.
Pant who is supposed to be running ahead of the other hopefuls is clinging to his stand that the party high command's decision would be accepted by one and all.
Amidst speculation running rife, the party has issued a directive, asking all the newly-elected MlAs to be in Dehradun on March 17 -- the day the BJP legislative party would meet. It has also been announced that the new Chief Minister would be sworn in at Parade Ground in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 18. The party insiders say that the party top brass having already picked the name, it would be announced in course of the legislative party meeting on March 18 in keeping with the spirit of the party's internal democracy.
State BJP has officially declared that the BJP legislative party would meet in a hotel on Subhash Road on Friday in the presence of the central observers -- Narendra Singh Tomar and Saroj Pandey aside from State BJP election in-charges JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan and Uttarakhand BJP in-charge Shyam Jaju. The meeting will be presided over by the State BJP president Ajay Bhatt.
Sources said that Bhatt had already met BJP national president Amit Shah in Delhi. He was advised not to make the name of the CM public till the legislative party meeting is held. With suspense continuing unabated with the party keeping a stony silence on the momentous matter, the media is having a field day, playing with a host of names, and the people are staying glued to the television sets, waiting for the climax of the long-dragging poll drama.
Sources said that Doiwala MlA Trivendra Singh Rawat, a formidable contender for the coveted post -- who was made the in-charge of PM Modi's spectacular Varanasi roadshow that played a significant role in propelling the party to a thumping victory -- is in direct contact with national party president Amit Shah.