New Delhi: Home Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh on Wednesday categorically rejected the reports of his same being cropped up for the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
When asked about his name doing rounds for the UP CM post, Singh said, “All these talks are futile and unnecessary.”
Union Minister JP Nadda has said said that BJP president Amit Shah has been authorised to choose the next CM.
Another name doing the rounds is that of Manoj Sinha (57), the Minister of State for Railways. An upper caste Bhumihar, he belongs to Poorvanchal, the area which is in the focus of the BJP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi constituency is also part of Poorvanchal.
Regarded as a dedicated and quiet worker, he is considered close to the top party leadership and many feel he has a fair chance if the party decides against showing preference for an OBC face.
A large number of non-Yadav backward castes voted for BJP in the Assembly election and the party's state unit president Keshav Prasad Maurya, an OBC, is a top contender for chief ministership.
After steering the party to a big win, 47-year-old Maurya has grown in stature. He is being credited with rallying the non-Yadav OBC voters behind the party.
When asked whether he was a contender for chief minister's post, Maurya, who met PM Modi on Tuesday, said," Speaking on this is beyond my jurisdiction."
