Dhami to continue as Uttarakhand CM despite personal electoral loss

Uttarakhand’s caretaker Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami continue to hold the office despite his loss in the recently held state election. The decision was taken at the BJP Legislature Party meeting held at the state headquarters this evening.

This is the first time in the 21-year-old Uttarakhand that a leader is being made the chief minister again despite his personal loss in the assembly election. Following the decision, Dhami, who was again elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party, reached the Raj Bhavan and presented the claim to form the government before the governor.

Dhami was MLA from Khatima of District Udham Singh Nagar in the third and fourth assemblies, but he lost the seat to Bhuvan Kapri of the INC. The BJP had already announced that Dhami would be made the chief minister if the party were to be voted to power.

The BJP, whose sources said that Dhami was retained because the two previous changes in the post had rendered the state organisation somewhat unstable, had faced the assembly election under his leadership. Dhami had a mere six months as chief minister before the model code of conduct came into force.

Sources in the BJP said Dhami had proved his leadership credential by leading the BJP to victory in the Uttarakhand election for the second time in a row, beating five years of anti-incumbency.

This is the first time also for a party to get an opportunity to form the government for the second time in a row in Uttarakhand.

Dhami is the youngest ever chief minister of Uttarakhand who had become the 11th occupant of the state CMO on 4 July 2021, replacing Tirath Singh Rawat who had earlier replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat.

The legislative party meeting held at BJP state headquarters reached their decision unanimously at 5 PM today. BJP’s MLAs and other leaders had started gathering at noon for the meeting.

But BJP supporters had no clear idea who would be chosen as the 12th chief minister of Uttarakhand. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi were present at the legislature party meeting as central observers.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, in charge of BJP’s campaign in Uttarakhand, Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, MP Ajay Tamta, Maharani Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Tirath Singh Rawat, Rajya Sabha member and BJP’s national media head Anil Baluni and Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal were present on the occasion.