Uttarakhand MLAs to elect leader today

New Delhi: Even as the suspense continues over who will be its chief minister in Uttarakhand, BJP’s state unit has started preparations for the swearing-in ceremony, which will take place on Saturday. Party’s legislature party is also meeting on Friday in Dehradun to elect its leader. Doiwala MLA Trivendra Singh Rawat and Pithoragarh MLA Prakash Pant have emerged as front runners for the top post in the state where the party won 57 of the total 70 Assembly seats.

Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar and national general secretary Saroj Pandey are central observers for the legislature party meeting.

“All the newly-elected par-ty MLAs have been asked to be in Dehradun on Friday for the meeting and the day after when the new chief minister is to be sworn in,” state unit chief Ajay Bhatt said in Dehradun.

Meanwhile, the swearing-in ceremony is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and senior party leaders and central ministers at the Parade Ground.

Among the new generation leaders for ministerial berths, names of Ritu Khanduri, daughter of former chief minister and Pauri Garhwal MP B.C. Khanduri and Saurabh Bahuguna, son of former CM Vijay Bahuguna are doing the rounds. Among the former Congress leaders who joined the BJP fold, names of Yashpal Arya, Harak Singh Rawat and  Subodh Uniyal are doing the rounds for cabinet berths.