Trivendra Singh Rawat, the former RSS Pracharak who is set to commence his third term as an MlA, will be the new Uttarakhand Chief Minister as the State BJP legislature Party on Friday unanimously elected him as its leader thus paving the way for his swearing-in on Saturday. For neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the BJP kept its choice for the top post a secret despite finalising Kanshiram Smriti Van as the venue for the “grand” oath-taking ceremony on Sunday.
The UP Chief Minister will be decided by 4 pm on Saturday when the State BJP legislature Party will meet, BJP’s State chief Keshav Prasad Maurya — himself a favourite if the party opts for an OBC face — said in Delhi.
Maurya, who was discharged following his hospitalisation on Thursday, refused to drop any hint saying, “If the name of the new Chief Minister is revealed before the meeting of the newly-elected MlAs, then the relevance and sanctity of the meeting would be lost.” Central observers, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, will remain present at the meeting to elect the Chief Minister.
The suspense over the UP CM’s name intensifies as another strong contender Union Minister Manoj Sinha too ruled himself out saying he wasn’t in any race. Earlier, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also rejected reports about him being a strong nominee for the CM’s post
“The new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, along with his Cabinet colleagues, would take oath on March 19 at 5.00 pm at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan,” Governor Ram Naik said in a statement in lucknow.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, besides a host of national and State party leaders, will attend the swearing-in functions in both the States. The BJP registered landslide victories in the two States.
Known for his organisational and administrative skills, 57-year-old Rawat, a Rajput, will be sworn-in as the eighth Chief Minister of the hill State at the Parade Ground. Rawat emerged the winner racing ahead contenders like Prakash Pant and Satpal Maharaj, both of whom proposed his name for the top slot.
His organisational skills were on display in Jharkhand where he came out with flying colours, guiding the BJP to a resounding electoral victory in the Assembly polls in 2014 as party in-charge. He also has considerable administrative experience as he was a Minister in the BJP Governments led by BC Khanduri and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Born in a family, which has a tradition of serving in the armed forces, Rawat studied in a school built of mud and thatch in his native village of Khairasain in Pauri Garhwal district.
In UP, the possibility of the BJP springing a surprise just like its choice of State leaders like Manohar lal Khattar and Vijay Rupani, both of whom were not among the favourites to lead Governments in Haryana and Gujarat, too cannot be ruled out, sources said.