NEW DELHI: In a bid to ensure the government formation in the four states where it returned to power is smooth, the BJP on Monday appointed its top leaders including home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman as central observers.
In the recently-held state elections, the BJP won Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur and Goa. Sources said the election of the legislature party leaders in these states will be held soon in the presence of central observers.
Shah will oversee government formation in Uttar Pradesh with party vice president Raghubar Das as co-observer, while Singh will supervise the election of the legislature party leader in Uttarakhand. He will be assisted by Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi as co-observer.
The election of the legislature party leader in Manipur will be overseen by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and co-observer Kiren Rijiju.
Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar is the central observer for Goa while his cabinet colleague L Murugan will be the co-observer.
The central observers’ job is cut out as it is the party legislature leaders who will become the chief ministers of the states concerned.
Sources said that a tussle over the chief minister post has erupted in Goa while it is not clear who will lead the government in Uttarakhand as chief minister Pushkar Dhami has lost the election.
In Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath is certain to be re-elected as the legislative party leader. However, the BJP is yet to take a call on deputy chief ministers.
One of the two deputy CMs in the previous government, Keshav Prasad Maurya, lost the election.
Adityanath went into huddle at his official residence, 5, Kalidas Marg, soon after returning from Delhi after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president J P Nadda, among others.
The party leaders who attended the meeting held by the chief minister-designate here included deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, BJP state President Swatantra Dev Singh, UP's party organisation in-charge Radha Mohan Singh and senior party leader Sunil Bansal.
Sources said besides the formation of his government, indicated to be sworn in after Holi on March 18, the state's top brass of the party also discussed the Uttar Pradesh legislative council elections for its 26 vacant seats with the electoral college of local bodies, sources said.
The biennial election for the council is to be held on April 9.
The new government in Goa will be sworn in after Holi, which falls on March 18, along with the three other states where BJP returned to power in recently-held polls, Goa BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade said on Monday.
"Swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Goa would be conducted post-Holi celebrations along with the other three states where BJP has won a majority," Tanavade told reporters.
He, however, didn't specify the exact date of the swearing-in ceremony.
Even four days after winning a maximum of 20 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly, the BJP is yet to stake a claim to form the next government, which will be the third straight term of the saffron party.
Tanavade said the Goa governor has already administered the oath to Ganesh Gaonkar as pro-tem Speaker.
The newly-elected members of the Goa Assembly will take oath on March 15, when the term of the current Assembly expires.
The governor has summoned the Assembly session on Tuesday.
Tanavade rubbished rumours about differences within the party unit over the leadership issue.
There are no differences.
The Central leadership will decide on the leadership, he said when asked who will become the next chief minister of the coastal state.
According to sources, Vishwajit Rane, who had served as health minister in the Sawant cabinet, has thrown his hat in the ring for the CM's post citing his better victory margin in recent polls compared to incumbent CM Pramod Sawant.
Rane represents the Valpoi seat.
When asked about the inclusion of the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP) in the new government, Tanavade said that the Central leadership will take the appropriate call.
He, however, admitted that 80 per cent of the new MLAs of BJP are against taking support of the MGP to form the new government.
"I am getting calls from BJP workers who have expressed their reservation against the induction of MGP in the new government," he said, adding that even some blocs of BJP have resolved against the MGP.
Shortly after BJP won 20 seats in the recent polls, just one short of the magic figure, the MGP lost no time to extend the support of its two elected members to the saffron party.
Besides, three Independents have also backed the BJP.
After the 2017 Goa polls, the BJP, despite winning fewer seats than the Congress, had formed its government with the support of the MGP, the oldest regional party in Goa, and the Goa Forward Party (GFP) under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar.
However, Pramod Sawant, who succeeded Parrikar as the chief minister after the death of the BJP stalwart in March 2019, dropped deputy CM Sudin Dhavalikar after two MLAs of the latter's MGP broke away and joined the ruling BJP.
The MGP had contested the recent polls in alliance with the TMC, which drew a blank in its maiden polls in Goa.
BJP's nearest challenger Congress won 11 seats, MGP 2, AAP 2, GFP 1, Revolutionary Goans 1, and Independents 3 in recent polls in Goa.
However, things are likely to speed up when two Central observers of BJP hold meetings with MLAs-elect on Monday evening, sources said.
Senior BJP leaders BL Santhosh and Piyush Goyal will reach Goa late evening, a senior party office-bearer said, adding that they will hold one-on-one meetings with all the 20 MLAs-elect of the party.
The BJP, which contested the elections under the leadership of chief minister Pramod Sawant, has also not held the legislative party meeting to elect its leader, who will become the CM.
According to sources, Vishwajit Rane, who had served as a health minister in the Sawant cabinet, has thrown his hat in the ring for the CM's post citing his better victory margin in recent polls.
Rane represents the Valpoi seat.
The BJP won the maximum 20 seats in the 40-member Assembly in recent polls, results for which were declared on March 10.
Three Independents and two members of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have already extended their support to BJP, which seems in a comfortable position to form a government.
BJP's nearest challenger Congress had won 11 seats, MGP 2, AAP 2, GFP 1, Revolutionary Goans 1, and Independents 3.
BJP sources indicated that the party will pick Sawant again as the chief minister.
Earlier in the day, Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai administered oath to MLA-elect Ganesh Gaonkar as pro-tem Speaker of the Legislative Assembly ahead of the session called on Tuesday.
All the newly-elected members will be administered the oath in the House on Tuesday.
The tenure of the current Goa Legislative Assembly ends on March 15.
Bhagwant Mann resigns from Lok Sabha
Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann submitted his resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker
Om Birla on Monday, days before he is to take oath as Punjab’s chief minister. He has invited the people of the state to his oath-taking on Wednesday.
“Three crore people will also take oath with me. Together we have to fulfil the dreams of Bhagat Singh,” he said
(With PTI Inputs)