Pushkar Singh Dhami, an MLA from Khatima in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand was on Saturday (July 3) afternoon elected as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party legislative party in Dehradun. Thus, he would be succeeding Tirath Singh Rawat as the tenth chief minister of Uttarakhand.
Dhami too is a Rajput and considered close to defence minister Rajnath Singh. He is 46 and a former president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
The BJP, unlike in the case of selection of Tirath Singh Rawat, avoided making any MP as the chief minister as it may once again necessitate a by-election which is not apparently possible as Assembly election is due in the state next February.
His election followed late Friday night development which led to the resignation by Rawat.
According to reports Dhami’s name was proposed in the legislative party meeting by the outgoing chief minister. Later talking to newsmen, Dhami, while reposing full faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that he would continue the good works done by his predecessors.
However, political observers are of the view that Dhami, a second term MLA, is only a stop-gap arrangement and the party would be contesting the Assembly election in the name of Prime Minister Modi. He was elected as chief minister only because other senior leaders like Dhan Singh Rawat, Satpal Maharaj and Anil Baluni were not very keen to become chief minister just for the interim period of seven months. He would be the third chief minister in four months which only speaks about the turmoil in the saffron camp.
