Who will be Uttar Pradesh's next chief minister? Suspense may end today; BJP changes swearing-in schedule

Bharatiya Janata Party has done all preparations for the swearing-in ceremony except the decision of chief ministerial pick for the state which will be decided on Saturday during party’s legislature meet in Lucknow.

Even, it seems that the party has followed the astrologers and shifted the timing of swearing-in ceremony from 5:00pm to 02:15 pm on Sunday.

The venue was already decided and government officials have started decking up Kanshiram Smriti Upvan for the event which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and other top party leaders.

Uttar Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah to be present at the oath ceremony. pic.twitter.com/6ElSH3dW0z

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 17, 2017

Manoj Sinha, Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath and Smriti Irani are being touted as frontrunners for the top job in the state.  Take a look at top CM’s post contenders-

Manoj Sinha

Manoj Sinha is an MP from Ghazipur and currently serving in the Modi government as Union telecom minister. This highly-educated BJP strategist also enjoys a good repo with the Prime Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah. Sinha is also considered the all-knowing man of the BJP who has information on each and every seat of Uttar Pradesh.

Rajnath Singh

The last BJP chief minister that Uttar Pradesh had in 2002, Rajnath Singh may turn out to be a natural choice for the saffron party. Despite Singh, an MP from Lucknow, has put all speculations to rest of taking command of the state once again, he is still a top contender for the post. A two-time BJP national president, Singh has been a major figure in the party after stalwarts Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani took a backseat.

Yogi Adityanath

The firebrand leader with Hindutva leanings is also being touted as the chief ministerial candidate. However, his chances of leading the BJP government are very slim as the party would not want to marginalise minority community due to his hardliner image in the run-up to the next general elections.

Satish Mahana

Amid growing suspense over the announcement of the name of UP chief minister, seven-time MLA from Maharajganj Satish Mahana may emerge as a dark horse. Mahana has served as the urban development minister during the regimes of Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh. Also, his seniority and experience add to his already impressive CV.

Smriti Irani

Smriti Irani took on Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections 2014. Despite she lost the election to Congress vice-president, but emerged as strong face within party. She is serving as Union minister in Modi government and could be a possible face to the top job. Smriti is a fine orator and has the ability to connect with the people.  

Also Read: Is Manoj Sinha the next UP chief minister? Know all about Modi’s trusted lieutenant