Pushkar Singh Dhami meets Governor Baby Rani Maurya at Raj Bhawan in Dehradun (ANI)After being chosen as the next Uttarakhand CM, Pushkar Singh Dhami met Governor Baby Rani Maurya at Raj Bhawan in Dehradun on Saturday. Union Minister and BJP leader Narendra Singh Tomar said Dhami will take oath as the CM on Sunday. “During the legislature party meeting, it was decided to appoint Pushkar Dhami as Uttarakhand BJP legislature party leader. We went to the Governor to discuss the party’s decision. The oath-taking ceremony will be held tomorrow,” Tomar was quoted as saying by ANI.
The decision to choose Dhami, the sitting MLA from Khatima, as the next chief minister of Uttarakhand was taken in the Uttarakhand BJP legislature party meeting held on Saturday, a day after Tirath Singh Rawat had resigned as the CM. Dhami will be the third chief minister of Uttarakhand in four months.
Interacting with the media after the announcement, Dhami said he would work for the welfare of the people within the short span of time for which he would be at the helm. “My party has appointed a common worker, son of an ex-serviceman, who was born in Pithoragarh to serve the state. We’ll work together for people’s welfare. We accept the challenge of serving people with the help of others, in a short time span,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
Rawat had on Friday handed over his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya at around 11 pm, hours after returning from Delhi where he was summoned by the top BJP leadership on Wednesday. Rawat, who continues to be an MP, had been handpicked by the central leadership as CM, in place of Trivendra Singh Rawat. Having been sworn in on March 10, he had time to get elected as an MLA till September 10. However, apart from Covid curbs making holding a bypoll difficult, as per the Representation of the People Act, a by-election for a seat should not be held if the term of a House is less than a year.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat at his residence in New Delhi on Friday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is all set to become the next chief minister of Uttarakhand, Saturday said he will turn the challenge of 2022 assembly polls into an opportunity.
"Yes of course it is a challenge but we will turn it into an opportunity," he told reporters soon after meeting Governor Baby Rani Maurya to inform her about his election as the leader of the BJP's legislature party.
"This is the true spirit of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam (the entire universe is family). This is the spirit behind the Prime Minister's Mantra of Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas sab ka vishwas," he said.
Asked whether there would be a cabinet reshuffle in the state, he said he would be able to say something on it only after he had done proper homework. When asked whether he will work for the unemployed youth, he said he will definitely make an effort to get them jobs. (PTI)
Pushkar Singh Dhami, who emerged as the BJP's choice for Uttarakhand chief minister on Saturday, takes over at a time when the party gears up for the assembly elections in the state early next year.
The 45-year-old MLA from Khatima for whom chief ministership is a career highpoint, simultaneously inherits a pile of problems from his predecessors with little time in his hands to set things right. Be it a Covid-battered economy, a suspended Chardham yatra, a massive fake Covid testing scam during Kumbh in Haridwar or an ongoing agitation by the priests of Gangotri and Yamunotri against the Devasthanam Board, Dhami has quite a few challenges to grapple with.
However, by choosing Dhami as UIttarakhand's new chief minister, the BJP has reposed faith in a young leader to row the party boat ashore in the poll-bound state. The main challenge before Dhami lies in spurring the party to yet another victory in the state for a second consecutive term in office in 2022. (PTI)
As Dhami takes over less than a year ahead of the next assembly elections, his biggest challenge lies in leading the BJP to another victory and retaining power in Uttarakhand, where the party has been plagued by factionalism. Changing chief ministers twice in a short span has not helped the party's image, with the opposition Congress accusing it of causing "political instability" and betraying the people.
"We accept the challenge and we will take forward the party and serve the people," Dhami said when asked whether taking over as CM just months ahead of assembly polls will be an uphill task.
The chief minister-elect thanked the party leadership for reposing faith in him and said that he will work with everyone's cooperation.
Dhami's name was proposed by outgoing chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat and Pradesh BJP president Madan Kaushik and seconded by a number of MLAs, including former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Tomar told reporters outside the state BJP headquarters here. No other name was proposed for BJP legislature party leader, Tomar said. (PTI)
Pushkar Singh Dhami visits Shaheed Smarak in Dehradun
Pushkar Singh Dhami will take oath as the Uttarakhand Chief Minister tomorrow at 6 pm at Raj Bhawan, states the Uttarakhand Governor's Office. The newly appointed Uttarakhand Cabinet Ministers will also take oath with him. (ANI)
"My party has always kept me under its wings, just like my mother. I consider myself fortunate enough that the party gave me this opportunity. I pledge to serve people even in remote areas of the state. We'll discuss the change in Cabinet later, " Pushkar Singh Dhami was quoted as saying by ANI.
“During the legislature party meeting, it was decided to appoint Pushkar Dhami as Uttarakhand BJP legislature party leader. We went to the Governor to discuss the party's decision. Oath taking ceremony to be held tomorrow,” says Union Minister and BJP leader Narendra Singh Tomar in Dehradun. (ANI)
Pushkar Singh Dhami meets Governor Baby Rani Maurya at her residence in Dehradun
“I'm very happy but feeling a little sad that his father is not with us to see him (Pushkar Singh Dhami) as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He worked very hard for this," says Pushkar Singh Dhami's mother Vishna Devi in Khatima. (ANI)
Scenes of joy engulf Khatima after Dhami is chosen as the next CM
'I want to thank the party's high command, PM Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and JP Nadda, and the people of the Khatima constituency. He came from a middle-class family and is aware of the problems of people,' Pushkar Singh Dhami's wife Geeta in Khatima quoted as saying by ANI.
Pushkar Singh Dhami (45), who was elected leader of BJP legislature party on Saturday, will be sworn in as the 11th chief minister of Uttarakhand.
A two-time MLA from Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar district, Dhami will replace Tirath Singh Rawat who had resigned from the CM on Friday night after a constitutional crisis occurred over his election to the state assembly.
He was elected MLA from Khatima for the first time in 2012 and the second time in 2017. At present, he is also BJP’s state vice-president. Read full report by Lalmani Verma
Scenes after Pushkar Singh Dhami was chosen as the next CM
Pushkar Singh Dhami reaches Raj Bhawan in Dehradun to meet Governor Baby Rani Maurya
“My party has appointed a common worker, son of an ex-serviceman, who was born in Pithoragarh to serve the state. We'll work together for people's welfare. We accept the challenge of serving people with the help of others, in a short time span,” Pushkar Singh Dhami was quoted as saying by ANI.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, the sitting MLA from Khatima, is set to be the new chief minister of Uttarakhand. The decision was taken in the meeting of the Uttarakhand BJP legislature party held on Saturday, a day after Tirath Singh Rawat had resigned as the chief minister.
The Congress on Saturday hit out at the BJP leadership, saying instead of ushering in development, it has thrown Uttarakhand into political instability and betrayed its people by repeatedly changing chief ministers.
BJP leader Tirath Singh Rawat resigned as the state's chief minister on Friday after holding the post for less than four months. He had replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat in March.
The BJP has insulted the 'devbhoomi' of Uttarakhand, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its president J P Nadda are responsible for the current situation, the Congress alleged.
Starting with Nityananad Swami, the BJP will have eight chief ministers in the state, senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said and added that in the latest four and a half years of the BJP's rule in Uttarakhand, there will be three chief ministers. The Congress condemns the BJP for insulting the state and its people by not doing anything to solve its problems, he said. (PTI)
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and other BJP leaders reach State Headquarters in Dehradun for the legislative party meet to elect new Uttarkhand CM.
BJP leader Tirath Singh Rawat said in Dehradun on Saturday that the BJP will win 2022 elections.
"The Legislature party meeting will be held at 3 pm today. It is certain that BJP will win 2022 elections," he told news agency ANI.
Referring to the 2022 Uttarakhand elections, BJP MP Ajay Bhatt Saturday said that the party will win more seats than Congress.
"BJP does not compromise on safety & betterment of the people; First nation, then party & finally us is our motto. We will win more seats than Congress; they will get an answer during counting," he told news agency ANI.
Former Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat Saturday said he isn't a part of the rat race to become the CM and he wasn't so earlier too. "Neither was I part of the race earlier, nor today. The legislative party leader will be elected at the meeting today: Former Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat when asked about his candidature for CM post again," he told news agency ANI.
"Had he (Tirath Singh Rawat) not resigned, it would have led to Constitutional crisis. In some states, bypolls were delayed due to Covid. Circumstances have led to this situation. Leader to be elected at today's legislature meet," Trivendra Singh Rawat said.
Former Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat Saturday said he isn't a part of the rat race to become the CM and he wasn't so earlier too. "Neither was I part of the race earlier, nor today. The legislative party leader will be elected at the meeting today: Former Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat when asked about his candidature for CM post again," he told news agency ANI.
"Had he (Tirath Singh Rawat) not resigned, it would have led to Constitutional crisis. In some states, bypolls were delayed due to Covid. Circumstances have led to this situation. Leader to be elected at today's legislature meet," Trivendra Singh Rawat said.
Tirath Singh Rawat’s resignation so close to elections is not likely to end BJP’s woes in Uttarakhand. Choosing a new CM will set off fresh tremors in the faction-ridden state unit, and explaining the frequent change of guard to the electorate won’t be an easy task. Read more here
Tirath Singh Rawat’s resignation so close to elections is not likely to end BJP’s woes in Uttarakhand. Choosing a new CM will set off fresh tremors in the faction-ridden state unit, and explaining the frequent change of guard to the electorate won’t be an easy task. Read more here