Sunday 10, 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
The recent pat on the back given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the stance of central leadership of the BJP to promote young leadership in the party has made the position of Dhami virtually unassailable within the state BJP. It is now clear that Dhami would lead the party in the upcoming assembly elections and would be made the CM again if the party returns to power next year. While addressing a conclave of a news channel in Delhi on Friday, the BJP national president J P Nadda linked elevation of Dhami to the post of CM as part of the party policy to promote young leadership.
The strengthening in the position of Dhami within the party vis-a-vis a battery of senior leaders which include as many as four former CMs ( excluding Major General B C Khanduri and Maharashtra governor B C Koshyari), leaders such as Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni has came a blow to his detractors within the party.
When Dhami took over as the 10th CM of the state on July 4 this year by replacing Tirath Singh Rawat, who could not complete four months in the office, many considered him as a stop gap arrangement.
The leaders of BJP who were in contention for the top slot in the state, believed that the central leadership of the party can apply the Assam formula in Uttarakhand after the assembly elections. In Assam, BJP had anointed a former Congressman Himanta Biswa Sarma on the CM’s chair ignoring the claim of Sarbananda Sonowal under whom the party held power in the assembly elections. It gave hope to the leaders of Congress background like Satpal Maharaj and Harak Singh Rawat that fate can smile on them if the Assam formula is implemented in Uttarakhand too. Similarly leaders such as RS MP and national media in-charge of BJP Anil Baluni, former CM Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat were considered in the reckoning for CM’s post after BJP comes back to power in the state in 2022.
However Dhami who seems to have inherited political acumen from his political guru Koshyari has proved everyone wrong. In the last three months he has adopted a cautious approach on the contentious issues and has taken up things which cater to the core vote bank of BJP. On the contentious Char Dham Devasthanam management board issue, he has appointed a high level committee. On the political front the inclusion of three MLAs of current Vidhan Sabha in the BJP in the last one month has further reinforced his position within the party.
