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Explained: What led Uttarakhand chief minister Rawat to resign from his post
Rawat’s resignation came hours after he returned to Dehradun on Tuesday morning after meeting senior BJP leaders in Delhi.
Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat submitted his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya on Tuesday. "The party took a collective decision that someone else should be given a chance as Uttarakhand chief minister," Rawat said after meeting the governor. Prior to their meeting, it was widely reported that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader might resign from his post.
Rawat’s resignation came hours after he returned to Dehradun on Tuesday morning after meeting senior BJP leaders in Delhi. Up until Monday, the BJP denied speculations about any leadership change in the state. “CM Rawat would discuss the events on March 18 to mark the completion of four years of this government and the election strategy for upcoming state assembly elections to be held in 2022,” BJP’s state president Bansidhar Bhagat said on Monday.
When did speculations of CM Rawat resigning start?
The speculations started after a sudden core committee meeting of the BJP took place on Saturday. The meeting is said to be called upon by central observers, including former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh and the state unit in-charge Gautam, which was attended by 45 party MLAs. It has been reported that a section of the leaders of the state was not happy with Rawat’s leadership and believed that he may not be able to lead the party to success in the elections due in February 2022. After the meeting, chief minister Rawat left for Delhi to meet the BJP’s central leadership on Monday morning.
What happened during Rawat’s visit to Delhi?
Rawat met BJP national president JP Nadda, Union home minister Amit Shah and party general secretary BL Santhosh. After the visit, Rawat returned to Uttarakhand on Tuesday morning.
How has the Congress reacted to the issue?
Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said it does not matter who is replaced by Rawat as the BJP is set to lose in the assembly elections due in 2022. "I can see a change in power happening. Even the BJP's central leadership has admitted that its present government in the state could not do much. No matter who they bring now they will not come back to power in 2022," Rawat, who is a former chief minister of the hill state, said.
Who are the probable contenders for the chief minister’s post?
Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj are said to be among the probable front runners for the position. State minister Dhan Singh Rawat and senior leaders Ajay Bhatt and Anil Baluni could also be considered for the top post.
