Set to be the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand on Sunday, Raghubar Das, met BJP president Amit Shah here on Saturday and discussed with him Government formation in the State.
The 59-year-old BJP leader, a national vice-president of the party, drove to Shah's residence and exchanged views with him the profile of his Cabinet and future course of his government in the State. "I had a positive discussion with the party president. I discussed Government formation and will work according to the party's directions," he told reporters after meeting Shah. The meeting assumes significance as Chief Minister- designate Das, a five-time MlA, will have to do a fine balancing act to ensure that tribals, who are the largest community in the state, get adequate representation.
Das is to take oath as the state's 10th Chief Minister on December 28 even as some tribal organisations staged a protest against the selection of a non-tribal as CM designate. He was Friday elected leader of the BJP's legislature party in a meeting of the newly-elected party MlAs. This is the first time BJP along with its pre-poll ally has got an absolute majority in 81-member State Assembly. While BJP has 37 members, its ally AJSU has five, taking their total tally to 42.
Das, who joined BJP as a simple worker and gradually rose through its ranks, became a minister for the first time after the creation of Jharkhand in the Babulal Marandi government and got berths in the subsequent two governments led by Arjun Munda before becoming the deputy chief minister in the Shibu Soren-led government in 2009. Munda, a potential tribal chief ministerial candidate, lost his Assembly seat.