'Doesn't matter who they bring': Harish Rawat on Uttarakhand CM's resignation

Uttarakhand Congress chief Pritam Singh said that the people of the state have rejected the BJP.

Former chief minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat on Monday said he is seeing winds of change in the state following the resignation of Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, but the chances of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returning to power in the state in 2022 legislative assembly elections are slim.

Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat says that the BJP has lost trust of the people. (Keshav Singh/Hindustan Times)

“I can observe a change in who will be in power in the state. The central leadership of the BJP has also admitted that the present government in Uttarakhand has failed to do much. It doesn't matter who they bring (as chief minister) now, they will not return to power in 2022,” the former chief minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Uttarakhand Congress chief Pritam Singh said that the people of the state have rejected the BJP. “The conflict within the BJP is now visible to everyone. The change in leadership cannot hide the failure of BJP in the state. The sudden resignation of Trivendra Singh Rawat is a clear indication that the people have completely rejected the BJP,” Singh said.

Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat submitted his resignation to the governor Baby Rani Maurya on Wednesday but did not clarify the reason behind his stepping down a year ahead of the polls. After his resignation, the Uttarakhand chief minister said that he was blessed to have served the state for four years. He said, “The party gave me the golden opportunity to serve the state for four years, I am extremely thankful to the party for giving such an opportunity to man hailing from a small village.”

Rawat, when asked about his sudden resignation, said, “You will have to go to Delhi to know the reasons for my removal.” Rawat also said that the new chief minister will be announced soon. The BJP will hold a legislative party meeting on Wednesday morning following which the next chief minister’s name is likely to be announced.