BJP legislature meet underway for new Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand BJP MLAs are attending a meeting in Dehradun to select a new Chief Minister for the state after CM Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned. Several MLAs and some ministers had complained about the style of governance of the Chief Minister to the party leadership.

Dehradun: The legislature meeting of the BJP leaders in Uttarakhand for the selection of a new Chief Minister is underway. BJP MLA Suresh Rathore said that the party is looking for someone who can be made the chief minister.

Central party observers Raman Singh and Dushyant Kumar Gautam are also present in the meeting to oversee the process of change of guard in the state.

Trivendra Singh Rawat Tuesday resigned as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, ending days of speculations about a leadership change in the BJP-ruled hill state amid reports of discontent against him.

Rawat submitted his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya at the Raj Bhawan here upon his arrival from Delhi after meeting the central BJP leadership.

After submitting his resignation, Rawat said the Uttarakhand BJP Legislature Party will meet at the party's state headquarters here at 10 am Wednesday to choose his successor. Rawat was going to complete four years in office on March 17.

State tourism minister Satpal Maharaj, Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, former state BJP president and Lok Sabha member Ajay Bhatt, former CM and Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, minister of state for higher education Dhan Singh Rawat, Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand Anil Baluni and RSS state general secretary Suresh Bhatt are said to be among the contenders for the key post.

READ: Congress demands re-election in Uttarakhand

On being asked if he is in the race for Uttarakhand CM post BJP MP Ajay Bhatt said, "I have done all the job assigned to me to benefit the people of the state and my party. I'm not part of any race."

No chief minister, except the late ND Tiwari of the Congress, has completed his or her five-year term as the CM of the young hill state which was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in November 2000.

Rawat became the chief minister of Uttarakhand on March 18, 2017 when the BJP stormed to power, winning 57 of the state's 70 Assembly seats.

READ: Uttarakhand BJP legislature party to decide next CM: Dushyant Gautam

The central BJP leadership had recently sent Raman Singh and Dushyant Gautam to the state to get feedback from the party's core group amid reports of discontent against the chief minister, as the state enters a poll year.

Speculations about a change of leadership began after the two arrived here on Saturday last week for an unscheduled meeting of the state party's core committee.

Raman Singh is said to have met all the core committee members individually to take their feedback before submitting his report to the party high command.

Rawat was summoned to Delhi on Monday to meet the Central leadership.

With his resignation, Rawat joins the group of nearly half a dozen former chief ministers of Uttarakhand who had to step down without completing their tenure including Nityanand Swami, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Vijay Bahuguna and Harish Rawat.

READ:Ask Delhi why my resignation was sought: Rawat

With PTI inputs