Uttarakhand : PM Modi, CM of BJP-ruled states likely to attend swearing-in ceremony of newly elected govt

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BJP party's central observers for Uttarakhand, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi and Union Minister Prahlad Joshi wiil be present at the party meeting to decide the new chief minister of Uttarakhand which is likely to be held on Sunday.

BJP President Madan Kaushik informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in the state. Speaking to reporters briefly today, Kaushik confirmed the information and said that chief ministers of various states will also attend the induction.

The political future of Pushkar Singh Dhami, the current caretaker Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, is likely to be decided at a crucial BJP legislature party meeting which is to be held on March 20, sources earlier said.

Giving information on Wednesday, a senior state BJP leader on anonymity had said that there is a festival of Holi in the Kumaon division on March 19, due to which the meeting of the legislature party will be held on March 20. He told that in this meeting, apart from the party observer, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, who was the party's election in-charge, will also be present.

According to the party's state president Madan Kaushik, all the party MLAs have been asked to reach Dehradun after Holi. Uttarakhand outgoing Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami resigned to pave way for the formation of the new government in the state after the conclusion of the Assembly elections.

Following his resignation, around seven MLAs have met Dhami to offer to vacate their seats for him to contest for re-election in the event he's elected leader of the legislature party of the BJP in the state. In addition, Ganesh Joshi and Arvind Pandey, who were Dhami's Cabinet colleagues, also announced their support to him.

Dhami was defeated by the Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri by a margin of 6,579 votes. Dhami got a total of 41,598 votes with a vote share of 44.8 per cent as against Kapri who got 48,177 with a huge vote share of 51.89 percent. The BJP won the popular mandate for the second consecutive term in Uttarakhand, bagging 47 seats in the 70-member Assembly. 

(With ANI Inputs)

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