BJP legislative party to choose next Uttar Pradesh CM on Saturday, Manoj Sinha denies being in race

Four-month-long election campaign, voting, result and gambit show will come to an end at 5PM on Sunday when a Bharatiya Janata Party leader will finally take an oath to be Uttar Pradesh’s next chief minister. 

BJP state president Keshav Prasad Maurya has revealed that a name will be finalised in the legislative party meeting scheduled to be held in Lucknow at 4PM on Saturday and formal swearing-in ceremony will be held on next day. 

The meeting of the legislators will be overseen by M Venkaiah Naidu and Bhupendra Yadav, who will be acting as central observers. 

"Oath ceremony of new UP CM and ministers to be held on 19th March at Smriti Upwan, Lucknow," a news agency reported. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah to be present at the oath ceremony," the report said. 

So far, BJP has not finalised the name of the chief minister. In face of Maurya’s sudden hospitalisation and alleged rejection by Rajnath Singh BJP is left with Union minister of telecommunication with independent charge, Manoj Sinha. 

Read | UP BJP MLAs to meet on March 18; may elect their leader

Manoj Sinha has great rapport with the central leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh.

Belonging to the upper caste Bumihar community, Sinha impressed the Prime Minister with his performance as Minister of State for Railways so much, that he was given independent charge of telecommunications. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a landslide victory in the recent Assembly elections. On its own, the party managed to win 321 seats out of the 403 seats. The victory paves the path for the return of the party to power in Uttar Pradesh after a period of seventeen years.

Read | 324 MLAs in kitty but CM face still missing: BJP buys more time to select Uttar Pradesh chief minister as Amit Shah leaves onus on state chief Keshav Prasad Maurya

Updates: 

#1:10pm: Manoj Sinha denies being in race for UP CM after meeting PM Modi in New Delhi