Tirath Singh Rawat takes oath as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Tirath Singh Rawat took oath as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand in Dehradun this afternoon. The development has come a day after former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat put in his papers amid widespread speculation about a change of leadership in the hill state. Here are more details on this.
He was sworn-in at Raj Bhawan in Dehradun
Tirath Rawat, 56, was a BJP Member of Parliament. He was sworn-in as Uttarakhand CM by Governor Baby Rani Maurya at the Raj Bhawan in Dehradun. Earlier, he was the chief of the saffron party in Uttarakhand during 2013-15 and also an MLA from the state in the past. Notably, his name was chosen over several prominent candidates including Uttarakhand Minister Dhan Singh Rawat.
'Never imagined this day'
"I was Sangh pracharak and a Minister under the leadership of Trivendra Singh Rawat. I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and the national president. I had never imagined this day (sic)," Tirath Rawat said earlier in the day.
Rawat had resigned yesterday
Trivendra Rawat, 60, had resigned from the top post on Tuesday. The decision was taken after several sitting lawmakers complained to the party's top brass about his "style of working." Citing his failure to communicate with his colleagues and lack of decision making ability, some party leaders had said that the BJP would not get re-elected in Uttarakhand under his leadership.
'Golden opportunity to serve state for 4 years'
Addressing the media yesterday, Trivendra Rawat had said, "The party gave me a golden opportunity to serve this state for four years. I had never thought that I would get such an opportunity. The party has now decided that the opportunity to serve as CM should be given to someone else." However, he had avoided questions about the reasons behind his exit.
Polls in Uttarakhand due in February 2022
Trivendra Rawat was made the CM after the BJP swept the last Legislative Assembly elections in 2017. It had won as many as 57 seats in the 69-seat Assembly, while the rival Congress had managed to win just 11. The next polls in Uttarakhand are due to be held in less than a year, i.e., February 2022.
