Uttarakhand chief minister stays back in Delhi amid much speculation

The state BJP leaders remained tight-lipped about the developments in New Delhi claiming Rawat was there to discuss the 2022 assembly elections

Published on: Jul 2, 2021, 09:38:45 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Thursday stayed back in New Delhi after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah. Rawat rushed to New Delhi on Wednesday after he was summoned there following the conclusion of a state BJP meeting in Nainital.

Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat. (File photo)

Since then, there has been much speculation as Rawat needs to get elected to the state assembly by September 10 to continue as the chief minister. Rawat took over as the chief minister in March. There are two assembly seats vacant in the state. The notification for the by-polls has to be issued before August 5. Normally by-polls are not held if the remaining tenure of a legislature is less than a year.

The state BJP leaders remained tight-lipped about the developments in New Delhi claiming Rawat was there to discuss the 2022 assembly elections.

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Dushyant Kumar Gautam, the BJP’s state in-charge, said coordination between the state and the Centre is important and that is why Rawat has gone to Delhi. “Also, with the next assembly elections ahead, there ought to be many issues which need to be discussed. All those would be discussed during the visit. As far as speculation is concerned, they are always there around any political personality.”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is trying to make inroads into Uttarakhand, has announced Ajay Kothiyal, a retired army officer, will contest against Rawat from the Gangotri seat. Rawat is expected to seek his election from Gandotri. But no final call has been taken yet.

AAP leader Naveen, who uses only one name, accused the BJP of “gross injustice” to the state’s people by imposing two “rubber stamp” chief ministers on them. “First Trivendra Singh Rawat and now Tirath Singh Rawat.”

AAP has announced it will contest all 70 seats assembly seats next year. It is banking on Kothiyal’s background and his popularity in the state for his significant contribution to the reconstruction work of the Kedarnath shrine post-2013 floods.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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