BJP huddles over Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister choice

Shimla: The Bharatiya Janata Party will declare the name of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister latest by tomorrow, it was declared on Saturday.The announcement came from a party state president Satpal Singh Sati at a news conference here.Mr Sati said the new Chief Minister would take oath at the Ridge Ground and subsequently form his Cabinet. His and BJP CM face Prem Kumar Dhumal's defeat in the assembly polls had come as a bolt from the blue, Mr Sati added.

Central observers, the state BJP chief said, had consulted the core committee members and victorious party legislators and returned to Delhi after two-day deliberations.They would praise the party parliamentary board of the stand of the state leadership on the choice of Chief Minister, Mr Sati added. He affirmed that Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states and CMs of its allies would be invited for the installation ceremony, which would be graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party's national chief Amit Shah, Members of Parliament from Himachal Pradesh and Union Cabinet Ministers. (UNI)