Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday has been chosen as the next chief minister of Uttarakhand by the state BJP legislative party a day after Tirath Singh Rawat resigned from the post. About 57 BJP MLAs of the state met at the party headquarters in Dehradun today to choose the next CM of the state, which is scheduled to go to the elections next year.
Born in Pithoragarh in 1975, Dhami's association with the BJP has been long as he started with the RSS and found his way in the RSS, ABVP etc. Though he is the youngest CM of the state, his association with RSS and its organisations is almost of 33 years.
According to reports, the 45-year-old MLA from the Khatima constituency of the Udham Singh Nagar district has never held a ministerial position in the state cabinet. The two-time MLA has a strong sway among the youth as he remained the president of the BJP youth wing in the state twice from 2002 to 2008.
Pushkar Dhami is also believed to be close to Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the present governor of Maharashtra, who also served as the chief minister of Uttarakhand for a very short stint. Pushkar Singh Dhami served as the officer on special duty when Koshyari was the CM. Dhami is also reportedly close to defence minister Rajnath Singh.
Former chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat remained the CM with the shortest stint as he did not even get the chance to speak in the Uttarakhand Assembly.
{{/usCountry}}Former chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat remained the CM with the shortest stint as he did not even get the chance to speak in the Uttarakhand Assembly.
{{/usCountry}}Uttarakhand's 3rd CM in 4 months
Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned in March making way for Tirath Singh Rawat, the Lok Sabha MP from Pauri Garhwal, who resigned on Friday, thus making Pushkar Singh Dhami the 3rd CM in 4 months. While there were complaints against Trivendra Singh Rawat's style of functioning, the resignation of Tirath Singh Rawat came amid uncertainty over by-polls that he was supposed to win to continue in office.
Uttarakhand CMs with short stints
The BJP has the tradition of changing the face of the chief minister in the state every time in the election year.
At the time of the formation of the state (2000), Nityanand Swami was made the Chief Minister, but as soon as just before the assembly elections in 2001, Bhagat Singh Koshyari was made the CM and the party lost the election.
In 2007, Major General Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri was made the CM but after 2009's Lok Sabha election results, he was replaced by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Before elections, Pokhriyal was again replaced by Khanduri and the BJP lost the election.
(With agency inputs)