Azam Khan refrains from commenting on UP CM announcement

Soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath was announced as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan showed disinterest in the matter and said that he is no one to comment on either the former or the saffron party.

"People should respect the democracy of the state; whichever party wins it is their decision to decide who should further rule as Chief Minister. We are no one to comment on it," Azam Khan told ANI.

Resonating similar views, the Congress leader Randeep Surjewala congratulated Yogi Adityanath, saying that he hopes the government would concentrate more on fulfilling promises.

"Wishing the new government well, I hope it will now rise above rival claims for share of power and concentrate upon fulfilling promises. Also prerogative to choose Chief Minister has always been of ruling party, delay reflects bitter conflict to share spoils of power despite majority," Surjewala told ANI.

Earlier in the day, the BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state.

Meanwhile Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 p.m. tomorrow in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Adityanath had flown to New Delhi earlier this morning to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26.

Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014.

The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.