Tuesday, 15 March 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
The central parliamentary board of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Union Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Union minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi as the central observers for the meeting of the BJP’s legislature party in Uttarakhand. These observers would attend the meeting of the newly elected MLAs of BJP in which the leader of the legislature party would be chosen. The leader of the legislature party would take oath as the new CM of Uttarakhand. It is learnt that the meeting of the legislature party of BJP is expected to be held on March 19, a day after the festival of Holi and the new government would be sworn in on March 20.
Though the ruling BJP has formally announced the names of the central observers for Uttarakhand and the states of Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Goa where the party has retained power, the suspense over the name of the next CM of Uttarakhand continues. Those versed with the style of functioning of the BJP’s top leaders- PM Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah aver that the central observers would merely inform the newly elected MLAs the choice of central leadership for the CM which they will have to accept.
In the just concluded process of assembly elections, the ruling BJP defied the tradition that the government changes hands after every five years as it swept back to power with a two- third majority in Uttarakhand. However the defeat of the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami from Khatima assembly constituency has created confusion over the choice of the new CM of the state. The camp owing affiliation to the CM Dhami is projecting him as a martyr who lost his own election while steering the party to a historic victory. Some cabinet ministers and a large number of MLAs especially those coming from Kumaon region have come out in the support of Dhami and as many as five MLAs have offered to leave their seat in case he is made the next CM of the state.
Apart from Dhami, cabinet ministers Satpal Maharaj, Dhan Singh Rawat, state president Madan Kaushik and Kotdwar MLA Ritu Khanduri are said to be the contenders for the top position in case the party decides to nominate someone from among the elected MLAs. The names of Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson of BJP Anil Baluni, former CM and union minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank and Union minister of state Ajay Bhatt are also making rounds in case the central leadership of the party decides to appoint someone other than the elected MLAs as the new CM of the state.
