The Bharatiya Janata Party has chosen former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Trivendra Singh Rawat as the next chief minister of Uttarakhand. He was elected BJP’s Legislative Party leader on Friday. He will take oath of office on Saturday, reported ANI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah will attend the ceremony.

Rawat was informed of the decision on Thursday night, reported The Indian Express. He won the 2017 Assembly elections from the Doiwala constituency. He is believed to be close to Shah. The 56-year-old was one of the three deputies Shah worked with in Uttar Pradesh before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Rawat served the RSS from 1983 to 2002 and is currently the BJP’s party in-charge in Jharkhand.

BJP state chief Ajay Bhatt had earlier announced that the new Uttakahand chief minister will be inaugurated in Dehradun on March 18 at 3 pm. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah and several other senior leaders will be present on the occasion,” he had said, without mentioning the party’s chief ministerial pick. “We have asked all MLAs to be present in Dehradun on March 17 and 18,” The Indian Express reported.