BJP chief Amit Shah virtually rules out Keshav Prasad Maurya from UP CM race

NEW DELHI: The issue of who will be Uttar Pradesh chief minister took a significant turn on Thursday with BJP chief Amit Shah virtually ruling out one of the top contenders for the job, Keshav Prasad Maurya.

"I have left the responsibility to Keshav (to choose the chief minister)," Shah told reporters when asked who would be the new UP CM.

Maurya was seen as the face of the party's successful plan to win over non-Yadav OBCs in UP. Importantly, Maurya had to be admitted to hospital+ soon after for fever, exhaustion and high blood pressure.

While Shah's comment escalated speculation about who could get the leadership's nod for the top job in Lucknow, the suspense could be over by the weekend as UP BJP MLAs are scheduled to meet in Lucknow on Saturday to elect their leader.

The party's central observers -- Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu and general secretary Bhupendra Yadav — will be present at the meeting.
After Maurya's virtual elimination, Manoj Sinha and Yogi Adityanath remain strong possibilities though party circles have not ruled out the return of Rajnath Singh to state politics.

In Uttarakhand, the issue has boiled down to a toss up between Trivendra Singh Rawat and Prakash Pant.

While Satpal Maharaj remains a strong contender, the former Congress stalwart's late entry into the party is seen as working against him.The Uttarakhand BJP legislature party will meet on Friday in the presence of the party's central observers Narendra Tomar and Saroj Pandey.