(M.C)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to announce the chief minister of Uttarakhand after a meeting of newly elected members of legislative assembly (MLA) in Dehradun on Monday. The MLAs will take oath of office at 11 am. Defence minister Rajnath Singh and minister of state for external affairs Meenakshi Lekhi will be present in the meeting of MLAs that will finalise the next chief minister of the hill state.
The BJP won 47 seats in the 70 member assembly, paving the way for a second consecutive term in Uttarakhand. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, however, lost the election from the Khatima constituency. Union home minister Amit Shah had held a meeting with Dhami on Sunday. Senior leaders, including party chief JP Nadda, were present in the meeting held in Delhi to discuss government formation in the state. Among the names doing rounds for the top post include Dhami, Uttarakhand general secretary Suresh Bhatt, MP Anil Baluni, legislators Dhan Singh Rawat, Satpal Maharaj and Ritu Khanduri, and MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. The BJP won elections in four out of five states that went to polls recently.
