Uttar Pradesh election results: Who will be the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister?

NEW DELHI: During the poll campaign, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not project any candidate as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself became the face of the BJP campaign. The strategy worked for the BJP as it has been able to get the support of different groups. Though no one was projected as the BJP chief minister, the party has no dearth of aspirants.

Below are a few BJP leaders one of whom could become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh:

Rajnath Singh
The Union Home Minister has been the Uttar Pradesh chief minister before. He could be the most senior and appropriate probable for the chief minister. A BJP veteran, he has good ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and popular following in the state. Rajnath could be acceptable to different religious and caste groups too as he is considered a neutral leader. He is being seen as the most ideal candidate for the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

Manoj Sinha
The savvy Union Telecom Minister, who is an MTech in Civil Engineering from IIT-BHU, is also a leading probable for the post of Uttar Pradesh chief minister. He is an organisational man who has the important charge of overseeing PM Modi's own constituency of Varanasi. What works in his favour is that he belongs to the Bhumihar caste which is relatively low in numbers in Uttar Pradesh, and Sinha can be projected as a neutral candidate when a lots of other backward castes that favoured the BJP in elections would like to see their candidates as chief minister.

Uma Bharti
BJP veteran Uma Bharti belongs to the backward Lodh caste and the BJP can consider her for the post of chief minister as it has got massive support from backward castes. She has been the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and is a prominent saffron face too. But what mars her chances is that she is an old leader who does not enjoy much confidence of PM Modi or even the RSS.

Keshav Prasad Maurya
The state party chief is a first-time MP who fits the BJP's caste calculations too as he belongs to a backward caste. In fact, his caste background was responsible too for his ascendancy to the top of the state party unit. But he is not experienced enough to run a big state like Uttar Pradesh. Yet, PM Modi's pick of relatively inexperienced Manohar Lal Khattar, an RSS man like Maurya, for Haryana chief minister shows the BJP can go for a fresh face with the right credentials.

Track live: UP election results

Dark horses
Unpredictable as he is, PM Modi can surprise everyone with his pick for the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma and hardcore right-wing leader Yogi Adityanath, who has a considerable following in the Poorvanchal area, are two names that can be quietly in the reckoning. Union Minister of State for Finance Santosh Gangwar could be another dark horse. He has a strong base in the Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.