Uttarakhand crisis: BJP may bring in 'CM-deputy CM' system as Rawat resigns
For the CM post, three names have emerged — Dhan Singh Rawat, the education minister of the state, and Parliament members Ajay Bhatt and Anil Baluni.
As Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned on Tuesday, putting an end to speculations of a change in the political leadership of the state, the BJP has already drafted its new blueprint in which there will be a deputy chief minister — a tested model of BJP governance.
News agency PTI reported that the deputy CM post may go to Khatime constituency MLA Pushkar Singh Dhami.
For the CM post, three names have emerged — Dhan Singh Rawat, the education minister of the state, and Parliament members Ajay Bhatt and Anil Baluni.
The state will be going to the elections in 2022. With one year left in his term, what triggered this political crisis in the state, apart from a few MLAs' disapproval of Rawat's style of government is not clear. In 2017, the party came to power winning 57 out of 70 seats.
The crisis came to the fore when the central BJP leadership sent two observers, party vice president Raman Singh and general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, to Uttarakhand to get feedback from the party's core group in the state amid reports of discontent against the chief minister.
Raman Singh talked to each member of Uttarakhand BJP's core committee, which includes Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal, Tehri MP Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah, former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt, cabinet minister Madan Kaushik, minister of state Dhan Singh Rawat, state BJP general secretary Ajeya Kumar, among others.
Till Monday, the BJP leadership was trying to paper over the developments as the visit of the observers was termed as a visit ahead of the government's four-year anniversary which is on March 18. On Tuesday, however, Trivendra Singh Rawat announced that he would be meeting the Governor in the evening.
After his resignation, Rawat said, "I have been in politics for a long time starting with the RSS. For the last four years, I am been serving as the CM of Uttarakhand. This has been a golden opportunity for me. I am from a small village, where only seven-eight families today." "My father worked in the Army. I have never imagined that I will be given this opportunity ever. It is only possible in the BJP," Rawat said.
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