Uttarakhand BJP MLAs to meet on Monday to elect new CM

The newly elected BJP MLAs of Uttarakhand will meet in Dehradun on Monday to choose their leader who will be the next chief minister of the hill state where the party has stormed back to power for an unprecedented second successive term.

The decision to convene a meeting of the MLAs was taken after state BJP leaders including caretaker chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Trivendra Singh Rawat (both former CMs), among others, met the party's central leadership at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence in Delhi, state party chief Madan Kaushik said.

Besides Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh were also present in the meeting that lasted more than an hour.

Kaushik, who also attended the meeting, said the BJP legislative party will meet Monday evening after the MLAs have taken the oath as members of the state assembly.

Earlier in the day, Dhami said the process of government formation is underway and the BJP's central leadership will take a call on the next chief minister.

The party has appointed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as the observer for government formation in the state.

The BJP, despite its emphatic win, has been in a bit of quandary over the new chief minister as Dhami, who spearheaded its successful campaign, lost his Khatami seat.

A section of the party's state unit still wants Dhami as the chief minister, while some favour a change.

Dhami continues to be the frontrunner for the chief minister's post despite his defeat but other probable names for the top job doing the rounds include those of Chaubattakhal MLA Satpal Maharaj, Shrinagar MLA Dhan Singh Rawat and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni.

Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt and former chief minister and union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank are also being talked about as probable candidates for the top job.

The BJP clinched 47 seats in the 70-member Assembly.