Uttarakhand: 3rd Chief Minister In 4 Months, 11th in 21-Year History
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-07-04 08:15:46
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Whatever be the compulsions and the pressing reasons, the change of guard in Uttarakhand, the second in just four months, does show that something is truly not working for the BJP in the state set up. Pushkar Singh Dhami, 45, has been appointed the new chief minister of the state, replacing Tirath Singh Rawat. He is the third chief minster in four months. Dhami, a Thakur, is a two-time MLA from Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar. He was earlier an officer on special duty to former chief minister B S Koshiyari. His name was proposed by the outgoing chief minister and seconded by state BJP chief Madan Kaushik to show that all the three top leaders in the state were on the same page.
It is being speculated that the caste arithmetic and regional politics were in play in Dhami's elevation. Since Dhami represent the Kumaon region, a balance will be struck as both Rawat and Kaushik are from the Garhwal region. Moreover, Dhami is a Thakur while Kaushik is a Brahmin. There, too, both communities will be placated. Since election results in most parts of India are greatly influenced by choice of candidates according to their regional and caste affiliations, the BJP is seen to be covering all bases ahead of the state elections.
Tirath Singh Rawat was chief minister for just four months. He put himself in a fix as he is not an elected member of the state assembly and he did not choose a seat to contest the elections in time. With the Election Commission not thinking of holding bypolls in the state now, he would have had to resign in two months. His tenure saw a lot of drama when the Maha Kumbh was held in Hardwar at the peak of the second wave. The big testing scam that took place during the Kumbh also put the party in a spot and resulted in a black mark on Rawat's CV. Then, he also has a habit of being a loudmouth and makes intemperate statement on various issues that embarrass the party further. All this clearly means that Rawat was a wrong choice for the top spot four months back.
If the BJP has hopes of winning the elections, Dhami will have to repair the damage. He will have to ensure that the probe in the testing scam is conducted speedily in a fair manner and the culprits are punished. He will have to complete the pending projects as far as possible as development had come to a standstill. Although he is a new face and will not face anti-incumbency, in the end the party will be judged on what he manages to achieve in the few months he has before the polls.
