Names of Pushkar Singh Dhami, Satpal Maharaj, Dhan Singh Rawat, Nishank & Anil Baluni making the rounds
Saturday, 12 March 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
Hectic deliberations have started in the Bharatiya Janata Party for deciding who will be the new chief minister of the state after the just concluded elections threw up a situation wherein the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lost the election but the party came to the power with a resounding two-third majority in the state Assembly. The names of many leaders are making the rounds as potential CM of the state. As per the sources of the party the former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘ Nishank’, senior cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj, Dhan Singh Rawat and Rajya Sabha MP and BJP national media in-charge Anil Baluni are said to be in the race for the post of Uttarakhand CM. However a section of the party is said to be in favour of the present CM Dhami even though he has lost the election. This camp is projecting Dhami as a martyr who lost in his constituency even as he steered the party to a two-third majority. A leader at present holding a constitutional position is said to be lobbying in favour of Dhami. Newly elected MLA from Champawat, Kailash Gahtori has already announced that he is ready to resign from his seat in favour of Dhami.
“The party high command had appointed Dhami to the post of CM as part of a long term perspective. Unfortunately he lost the election but the party fought and won under his leadership. In the limited time he took the party out of the woods,’’ said a senior leader of the party.
The supporters of senior cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj have also become active to ensure that their leader gets the coveted post. After attending the cabinet meeting and accompanying CM Dhami to Raj Bhawan where he tendered his resignation Maharaj left for Delhi to garner support of the central leadership. Though the persona of Maharaj suits the Hindutva agenda of BJP and he has followers in all parts of the country the only hindrance on his path is said to be his Congress party background. Cabinet minister Dhan Singh Rawat is also in the race for becoming CM. It is said that Rawat lost the chair of CM to Dhami by a whisker when Tirath Singh Rawat was replaced. Being a hardcore organisational person, Dhan Singh Rawat enjoys a good rapport with the central leadership of the party. Apart from these leaders the names of the former CM Nishnak, BJP national media in-charge Baluni and former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat are also making rounds in case the party leadership decides to appoint someone who is not a member of the house. Baluni’s supporters are projecting him as a visionary, young and non-controversial face for the post of CM while the camp followers of Nishank are also lobbying hard for him. Nishank had become active in the state ahead of the counting of the votes. The camp of former CM Tirvendra Singh Rawat too is pushing his name forward. His protégée Brijbhushan Gairola, the newly elected MLA from Doiwala has offered his seat to Rawat.
