BJP top brass to deliberate on UP CM; Rajnath, Uma Bharti likely picks

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliamentary Board will meet on Sunday evening in New Delhi to decide the names of the Chief Ministers in the states where it has got the majority to form the government.

The party has performed well in the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

Briefing media in New Delhi, party President Amit Shah had on Saturday said the Chief Ministers would be chosen on the basis of merit and capability.

Shah also informed that ahead of the Parliamentary Board meeting, the party workers would felicitate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership resulting in overwhelming victory in the state assembly polls.

The BJP had not announced a candidate for CM’s post before the polls, and several leaders are said to be in the fray. Names of some Union ministers from the state, including Uma Bharti and Mahesh Sharma, are also doing the rounds.

The BJP could consider Bharti, who belongs to the backward Lodh caste, for the post of CM considering the massive mandate it received from the backward castes.

There is still a growing demand for Union home minister Rajnath Singh to be the chief minister of UP. He has been CM of the state in the past – between 2000 and 2002 – during the BJP’s last tenure in power in UP.

A BJP veteran, Rajnath has good ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and has popular following in the state. Rajnath could be acceptable to different religious and caste groups too as he is considered a moderate leader.

There have been reports suggesting Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath as a possible contender for the CM’s post in UP.

UP BJP President Keshav Prasad Maurya, who comes from a backward community and was closely associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) during the Ram Mandir agitation, also seems to be in the fray for the crucial post in the state. His appointment as BJP state chief was aimed at garnering support from the non-Yadav OBCs in the state. However, his lack of experience at the top level can go against him.

While these leaders are touted to be the top contenders for the CM’s post in UP, the suspense can be put to an end only by an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a penchant to spring surprises.