‘Sad his father isn't with us to see him as CM’: Pushkar Singh Dhami's mother

The chief minister’s mother also said that Pushkar Singh Dhami has worked very hard to achieve this feat

Uttarakhand’s newly appointed chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s mother Vishna Devi on Saturday said that she is a “little sad” as his father is not with them to see his son become the head of the hill state, news agency ANI reported.

The newly-appointed Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is an MLA from Khatima constituency, said that BJP has always kept him under its wing just like his mother. (ANI Photo)

“I’m very happy but feeling a little sad that his father is not with us to see him as the chief minister of Uttarakhand,” Devi was quoted as saying by ANI.

She added that Dhami has worked very hard to achieve this feat, ANI reported.

Dhami’s wife Geeta, on the other hand, thanked BJP’s high command, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, and party chief JP Nadda for appointing her husband as the new chief minister of Uttarakhand. Talking to ANI, Geeta also thanked the people of Khatima, his constituency.

Hailing his middle-class background, Geeta further told ANI that Dhami is “aware of the problems of people.”

Soon after the announcement of Pushkar Singh Dhami as the new chief minister, celebrations broke out outside his home in Khatima. According to visuals shared by ANI, Geeta was seen feeding sweets to family members while people danced by playing dhols outside Dhami’s house.

Addressing the media, the new chief minister said that his party (BJP) has appointed a “common worker, the son of an ex-serviceman, who was born in Pithoragarh to serve the state.”

"My party has always kept me under its wings, just like my mother. I consider myself fortunate enough that the party gave me this opportunity. I pledge to serve people even in remote areas of the state," Dhami told ANI, adding that he will discuss the Cabinet changes later.

45-year-old Pushkar Singh Dhami became the third chief minister of Uttarakhand, succeeding Tirath Singh Rawat, in nearly four months. On Saturday, about 57 state BJP MLAs met at the party headquarters in the capital city of Dehradun to choose the next CM of the state. Notably, Uttarakhand will go to the polls early next year.

Outgoing chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat, who was sworn in as the state head on March 10, resigned from the post amid uncertainty over by-polls that was mandatory for him to win to continue as the chief minister.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that Pushkar Singh Dhami will take the oath as Uttarakhand’s new chief minister on Sunday, ANI reported.