Tirath Singh Rawat to be new Uttarakhand Chief Minister, oath at 4 PM

mangaloretoday.com/ NDTV

Dehradun, Mar 10, 2021:    Tirath Singh Rawat will take over as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, with just a year to the state election, after the resignation on Tuesday of Trivendra Singh Rawat.

 

Tirath Singh Rawat, 56, is a BJP MP from the Pauri constituency. He was the chief of the party in Uttarakhand in 2013-15 and also an MLA from the state in the past. He will be sworn in later today.

He was picked over prominent candidates including Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Uttarakhand Minister Dhan Singh Rawat.

He is a surprising, yet interesting choice for the post. Sources say the decision was taken with the express approval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What sets him apart is that he is not identified with any faction in the Uttarakhand BJP.

The BJP was faced with the challenge of balancing two groups; old-time BJP players were pitching for their candidate and imports from the Congress, like Harak Singh Rawat and Satpal Maharaj, were pushing for theirs,

The BJP’s central observers told the leadership that any candidate from either faction would tip the balance and harm the party in the election.

It is because of this feud within that Trivendra Singh Rawat became unpopular and his position became untenable.

Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned after days of speculation about a leadership change in the state amid allegations of non-performance and resentment within the Uttarakhand BJP over his style of functioning. Yesterday, he was asked by reporters why he thought he was removed. "Go to Delhi to find out why," said Mr Rawat, who became the latest in Uttarakhand’s long line of Chief Ministers who could not finish their term.

Tirath Singh Rawat has the task of leading the BJP into polls due in February with just about a year to turn things around. Like his predecessor, he too is low profile and not known to be a mass leader. A former member of the BJP’s ideological mentor RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), he is believed to be more of an organization man.

"I want to thank PM Modi, BJP chief, Home Minister and central leadership who trusted me, a mere party worker who comes from a small village. I had never imagined that I’d reach here. We will make all efforts to meet people’s expectations and take forward the work done in the last 4 years", Tirath Singh Rawat said.