Trivendra Singh Rawat resigns as Uttarakhand Chief Minister
Trivendra Singh Rawat, 60, resigned as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, a year before the state is due to hold Assembly elections. Notably, Rawat's resignation comes a day after he held a meeting with the top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi after several state lawmakers complained about his "style of governance." Here are more details.
Rawat tendered resignation after meeting the Governor
On Tuesday afternoon, Rawat reached Raj Bhawan in the state capital Dehradun to meet Governor Baby Rani Maurya. He then tendered his resignation as CM to the Governor. According to News18, first-time MLA Dhan Singh Rawat could be Rawat's replacement. He is reportedly at the CM's residence. BJP legislators are scheduled to hold a meeting at 10 am on Wednesday.
'BJP gave golden opportunity to serve Uttarakhand for four years'
Addressing the media, Rawat said, "I have submitted my resignation as the CM to the Governor today." He added, "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."
'Go to Delhi,' said Rawat when asked why he resigned
Further, Rawat wished his successor the best. During his press conference, Rawat was repeatedly probed by reporters for the reason behind his resignation. He quipped, "You will have to go to Delhi for your answer.
Yesterday's meeting sparked leadership change speculation
On Monday, Rawat had met BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and party General Secretary BL Santhosh in Delhi. Incidentally, he had canceled his scheduled programs for the day last minute for the meeting. The meeting led to speculation about a leadership change in the state, however, the party had earlier denied that the same was imminent, reports said.
BJP won't be re-elected under Rawat's leadership, critics had complained
Reportedly, two central party observers, Raman Singh and Dushyant Gautam, were sent to Dehradun on Saturday for an assessment. They spoke to MLAs, Ministers, the CM, and leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP's ideological parent). BJP MLAs reportedly told the observers that the party does not stand a chance at re-election under Rawat's leadership, citing his failure to communicate and lack of decision-making.
Rawat came to power after BJP swept 2017 polls
Rawat had come to power after the BJP won the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly elections in 2017. The BJP had won a whopping 57 seats in the 69-seat Assembly, up from the 31 seats that it had won in the 2012 state polls. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress had won a meager 11 seats in 2017, down from 32 in 2012.
