New UP CM to take oath tomorrow, MLAs meet today
LUCKNOW: The suspense over who will become the next CM of Uttar Pradesh is set to end on Saturday evening. That’s when Bharatiya Janata Party’s 312 newly elected MLAs are assembling to choose their leader. BJP state party chief Keshav Prasad Maurya has told them to reach Lucknow by 2 pm for the 4 pm meeting. Governor Ram Naik tweeted that the oath-taking ceremony will take place at 5 pm on March 19.
While there is still no clear indication on the final choice, there has been some action since Thursday when some senior MLAs were called by the party brass for one-onone meetings.
The decision on the next chief minister will be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in consultation with BJP president Amit Shah, according to people aware of the matter. Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav will arrive in Lucknow on Saturday to take part in the legislature party meeting. Senior party functionaries Sunil Bansal, Om Mathur and Shiv Prakash will also be present.
The legislature party meeting will formally endorse the name finalised by Modi and Shah.
Modi and Shah, along with chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and union ministers, will attend the oath-taking ceremony.
Some of those being mentioned as potential candidates strenuously denied they were in contention. Union home minister Rajnath Singh rubbished talk that he would be the next chief minister while junior railway minister Manoj Sinha said he was not in the race. Shah had announced on Thursday that the new chief minister will be chosen under the leadership of Maurya, virtually ruling the latter out. There is keen anticipation about who will become ministers.
Uttar Pradesh can have up to 60 of them, according to the rules. The names of Siddharth Nath Singh, Satish Mahana, Suresh Khanna, Swatantra Dev, Srikant Sharma, Sangeet Som, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, SPS Baghel, Dara Singh Chauhan, Swami Prasad Maurya, Radha Mohan Agarwal, Surya Pratap Shahi, Om Prakash Rajbhar (SBSP), Chetan Chauhan and Swati Singh are among those doing the rounds. Shahi is being mentioned as a possibility for Speaker.
Some leaders from Apna Dal (S) and SBSP, which are coalition partners, are also set to become ministers. All ministerial berths are not likely to be filled on Sunday.
The Lucknow administration had been alerted about the swearing-in ceremony sometime back. Several rooms in most prime hotels have been blocked till March 20 by the administration, sources said.
BJP has chosen Kanshi Ram Smriti Upwan, a park renovated by Mayawati when she was chief minister, for the swearing-in ceremony. Built after the Kargil war, it was known as Smriti Upwan and was dedicated to soldiers who were martyred in the war. Mayawati refurbished the site and added the name of the BSP founder to it.
The symbolism suits BJP, which has espoused the cause of nationalism vociferously in the past few months. The party is also making overtures to Dalits and this venue, named after Kanshi Ram, helps in sending across a message. The park is spread across 100 acres and is a tourist spot.
The state administration has got into high gear to make the oath-taking ceremony a smooth affair. Chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar and DGP Javeed Ahmed held a high-level meeting to plan the event that will see a large number of VIPs attending.
The Special Protection Group is also likely to arrive on Saturday to oversee preparations and security arrangements. The venue is near the airport and has ostensibly been chosen to cause fewer disruptions in the city.
The BJP office is awaiting the arrival of newly elected MLAs and senior party leaders. BJP leaders who will be involved in the election of the new chief minister will start arriving Saturday morning.
The party is returning to power after 14 years and wants to make the swearingin ceremony a grand affair.
There is a clamour for passes from party workers and supporters. Many were disappointed the process will begin only on Saturday under the guidance of senior leaders.
While there is still no clear indication on the final choice, there has been some action since Thursday when some senior MLAs were called by the party brass for one-onone meetings.
The decision on the next chief minister will be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in consultation with BJP president Amit Shah, according to people aware of the matter. Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav will arrive in Lucknow on Saturday to take part in the legislature party meeting. Senior party functionaries Sunil Bansal, Om Mathur and Shiv Prakash will also be present.
The legislature party meeting will formally endorse the name finalised by Modi and Shah.
Modi and Shah, along with chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and union ministers, will attend the oath-taking ceremony.
Some of those being mentioned as potential candidates strenuously denied they were in contention. Union home minister Rajnath Singh rubbished talk that he would be the next chief minister while junior railway minister Manoj Sinha said he was not in the race. Shah had announced on Thursday that the new chief minister will be chosen under the leadership of Maurya, virtually ruling the latter out. There is keen anticipation about who will become ministers.
Uttar Pradesh can have up to 60 of them, according to the rules. The names of Siddharth Nath Singh, Satish Mahana, Suresh Khanna, Swatantra Dev, Srikant Sharma, Sangeet Som, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, SPS Baghel, Dara Singh Chauhan, Swami Prasad Maurya, Radha Mohan Agarwal, Surya Pratap Shahi, Om Prakash Rajbhar (SBSP), Chetan Chauhan and Swati Singh are among those doing the rounds. Shahi is being mentioned as a possibility for Speaker.
Some leaders from Apna Dal (S) and SBSP, which are coalition partners, are also set to become ministers. All ministerial berths are not likely to be filled on Sunday.
The Lucknow administration had been alerted about the swearing-in ceremony sometime back. Several rooms in most prime hotels have been blocked till March 20 by the administration, sources said.
BJP has chosen Kanshi Ram Smriti Upwan, a park renovated by Mayawati when she was chief minister, for the swearing-in ceremony. Built after the Kargil war, it was known as Smriti Upwan and was dedicated to soldiers who were martyred in the war. Mayawati refurbished the site and added the name of the BSP founder to it.
The symbolism suits BJP, which has espoused the cause of nationalism vociferously in the past few months. The party is also making overtures to Dalits and this venue, named after Kanshi Ram, helps in sending across a message. The park is spread across 100 acres and is a tourist spot.
The state administration has got into high gear to make the oath-taking ceremony a smooth affair. Chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar and DGP Javeed Ahmed held a high-level meeting to plan the event that will see a large number of VIPs attending.
The Special Protection Group is also likely to arrive on Saturday to oversee preparations and security arrangements. The venue is near the airport and has ostensibly been chosen to cause fewer disruptions in the city.
The BJP office is awaiting the arrival of newly elected MLAs and senior party leaders. BJP leaders who will be involved in the election of the new chief minister will start arriving Saturday morning.
The party is returning to power after 14 years and wants to make the swearingin ceremony a grand affair.
There is a clamour for passes from party workers and supporters. Many were disappointed the process will begin only on Saturday under the guidance of senior leaders.
