Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat meets Nadda, likely to tender resignation

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Friday met Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) President JP Nadda again within two days and the meeting between them lasted for about half an hour.

New Delhi: With speculations rife over the tenure of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) President JP Nadda held a meeting with the chief minister to discuss the upcoming bypolls in the state. Speaking to the media about his meeting with BJP president, Rawat said, "We discussed the upcoming elections. We discussed the development of the state and the work to bring the schemes of the Centre on the ground. We discussed taking those schemes to the people of Uttarakhand."

"The opposition is nowhere in front of the public. It is the Election Commission's decision to conduct a by-poll in the state. We will move forward with whatever strategy the Centre decides," he added.

As per the sources, Uttarakhand Chief Minister has approached the Election Commission today with a request to hold a by-poll in the state. Rawat rushed to New Delhi on Wednesday after he was summoned by the party leadership following the conclusion of a state BJP meeting in Nainital.

Tirath Singh Rawat was a BJP MP from the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency and he was sworn in as Chief Minister in March 2021. He needs to get elected as an MLA by September through by-elections, as per law. According to Article 164(4) of the Constitution, "A Minister, who for any period of six consecutive months is not a member of the Legislature of the State, shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister."

In Uttarakhand, Gangotri and Haldwani are the two vacant assembly seats. Gangotri seat fell vacant after the demise of BJP legislator Gopal Rawat while Haldwani seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Indira Hridayesh passed away due to cardiac arrest this month in New Delhi.