DEHRADUN: Churning has begun in Uttarakhand to choose the next Chief Minister after the ruling BJP got the majority but CM Pushkar Singh Dhami lost his seat.
At present, around half-a-dozen names are doing rounds for the CM post including Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj and Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat.
"Almost every prominent state leader is lobbying with his supporters through various channels available for the CM post. They include many cabinet ministers who have won consecutive elections and are senior leaders. Though the picture is not clear yet, for now, Dhami has the chairs as well as sympathy and confidence of the leadership," said a state-level BJP functionary.
Dhami submitted his resignation to the governor on Friday who asked him to continue as the caretaker CM until the party chooses the next CM.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan are in Dehrdaun to decide the next CM of the state.
Sources from the party said that Satpal Maharaj and Dhan Singh Rawat are lobbying the hardest and projecting themselves as the strongest contenders for the CM post.
Meanwhile, four incumbent BJP MLAs have announced that they are ready to vacate their seats for Chief Minister Dhami to contest.
In July last year, after Dhami was chosen to be the CM, many senior leaders including Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat, Yashpal Arya, and Bishan Singh Chuphal were not happy.
Satpal Maharaj was said to be the angriest among all. According to party sources, he had left the meeting of the party's legislature group. He also tried to seek time from the central leadership to meet and express his angst.
Maharaj was said to be one of the strongest frontrunners for the CM post backed by the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS), said sources.
However, after efforts of central and state leadership of the Bhartiya Janta Party, the oath ceremony of the 11th and youngest Chief Minister of Pushkar Singh Dhami went hassle-free in Raj Bhawan, Dehrdaun.
Dhami had visited at Maharaj's residence and met him. Pictures of his meeting with Maharaj were also circulated on various social media platforms as well as released by the state information department.
A senior leader, most probably Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharaj on the day after which he agreed to join the oath ceremony and take the position of a cabinet minister in the Dhami cabinet.