BJP changed three CM in the last year. Here’s why…

By ANISHKA SHARMA

Greater Noida: Despite a turbulent tenure of five years in which the party changed as many as three chief ministers, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a sizeable lead in the Uttarakhand assembly elections. As per the latest trends available at 4pm, the BJP has 48 seats in its kitty. The halfway mark is 36 seats for any party to form a majority government. The hill state has 70 assembly seats.

In 2017, when the BJP came to power, it had appointed Trivendra Singh Rawat as the chief minister of the state. However, Rawat’s handling of the Covid-19 situation, which led to adverse situations in the state, led to his removal from the position after uproar from within and outside the party.

Rawat was replaced by Tirath Singh Rawat, who was removed shortly after over his controversial statements against women. Rawat’s statements, such as, “If such women go out in the society to meet people and solve their problems, what kind of message are we giving to our society and our kids?” had led to mass uproar.

Rawat was also accused of taking decisions that hampered the forward-thinking and liberal progress of the state. Shortly after he was allegedly caught taking bribes and was also accused of having been involved in black-money affairs, which led to his removal as chief minister of Uttarakhand for 4 months.

Rawat was replaced by Pushkar Singh Dhami, the first CM of the state from the Kumaun region. Till date, Dhami has worked diligently to clear BJP’s name and to ensure that the party comes to power.

A qualified lawyer, Dhami holds an LLB degree from Lucknow University. According to his affidavit filed during the 2012 Uttarakhand assembly elections, Dhami had listed his profession to be that of a farmer, which he changed to advocate in 2017.

Compared to its neighbouring states, Uttarakhand has the biggest budget and has always chosen its chief minister from the Garhwal region.