Suspense over Uttar Pradesh CM to end on Saturday, Manoj Sinha among front-runners; oath-taking ceremony on Sunday

Lucknow/New Delhi: Suspense over who will become Uttar Pradesh's next chief minister will end on Saturday as newly-elected Bharatiya Janata Party  MLAs were all set to meet tomorrow to elect the leader.

Union Minister Manoj Sinha is among the front-runners.

The swearing-in ceremony of a new BJP government in Uttar Pradesh will take place on Sunday.

"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.

The ceremony is likely to be a grand affair with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah attending the event.

As per state BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi, the legislature party meeting will take place tomorrow at Lok Bhawan - the newly-constructed Chief Minster's office located adjacent to the UP BJP office.

Central observers - Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav -- will remain present at the meeting to elect the chief minister.

Besides Manoj Sinha, Home Minister and former state chief minister Rajnath Singh and state party chief Keshav Prasad Maurya are being projected as strong nominees for the post by their partymen.

Notably, Manoj Sinha and Rajnath Singh, neither of the "front-runners", are visiting Lucknow tomorrow.

According to officials in the office of the Union Minister of State for Railways and Telecom, Sinha will reach Ghazipur, his parliamentary constituency, on Saturday and will go to Mughalsarai later in the day.

According to protocol issued by the ministry, Sinha will leave for New Delhi by a night train from Varanasi.

Rajnath Singh is also not scheduled to come to Lucknow on Saturday.

His trip to Lucknow is scheduled for Sunday when the new government will be sworn in.

All the "front-runners" in their interactions with the media have played down their chances with Sinha turning poetic today, citing a verse which translates as 'desires are treacherous, and change once fulfilled'.

"Naa mujhe kisi race kaa pata hai, naa main kisi race main hun (neither do I know about any race, nor am I in any race)," Sinha told reporters outside Parliament when asked if he was in the race to become the chief minister of the country's politically most important state.

Maurya, who was discharged following his hospitalisation yesterday after he complained of uneasiness, is seen as a favourite if the party opts for an OBC face.

He parried questions and said the state legislature party will decide on the chief minister tomorrow.

"Legislature party will decide who will be the chief minister. The oath-taking ceremony will be on March 19 and all national leaders of the party will attend the ceremony," he told reporters.

"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," he said

The Home Minister, several leaders said, is a natural contender due to his profile and vast administrative experience.

With the BJP leadership often springing a surprise with 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, sources said a relatively lesser known leader cannot be ruled out.

The central observers will most likely inform the MLAs about the BJP top brass' choice which will be subsequently endorsed at the meeting tomorrow. UP government officials said that they have started preparations for the swearing-in ceremony.

Kanshiram Smriti Upvan is being decked up for the event which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and other top party leaders.

BJP vice-president Om Mathur, Maurya, and senior party leaders are also likely to attend tomorrow's meeting.

"The name of the new Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister will be known tomorrow at 4.00 pm," Maurya said.

With various pros and cons weighing heavily on mind, BJP top brass has taken its time to decide on the UP Chief Minister after results were declared on March 11. The party bagged 325 seats along with its allies in the 403-member House.

The sources said the party is extra cautious as it is returning to power in Uttar Pradesh after a 15-year hiatus. Moreover, in view of Lok Sabha election in 2019, the BJP cannot afford to take any wrong decision, said some party insiders when asked about the delay in declaring the CM's name.

After a stupendous win in the Assembly Election, the party can ill afford to lower its guard for 2019. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to Lok Sabha and is extremely important in the BJP's scheme of things.

Party insiders said the overwhelming mandate has posed a fresh challenge for the BJP to meet sky-high expectations.

"The preparations for the swearing-in ceremony is going on and I have visited the spot to oversee it," BJP state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

People from all over the state and special invitees, whose list is yet to be finalised, are expected to take part in the ceremony.

In the recently-concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections, the BJP secured 312 seats, while its allies Apna Dal (Soneylal) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party got nine and four seats respectively. The Samajwadi Party bagged 47 seats, while its ally the Congress stooped to one of its lowest tallies with seven seats.

Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party could manage to get only 19 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

(With Agency inputs)