Tirath Singh Rawat to be new Uttarakhand CM

Tirath Singh Rawat will take over as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, with just a year to the state election, after the resignation on Tuesday of Trivendra Singh Rawat.

Tirath Singh Rawat, 56, is a BJP MP. He was the chief of the party in Uttarakhand in 2013-15 and also an MLA from the state in the past. He will be sworn in later today.

His name was picked over prominent candidates including Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Uttarakhand Minister Dhan Singh Rawat.

Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned after days of speculation about a leadership change in the state amid allegations of non-performance and resentment within the Uttarakhand BJP over his style of functioning. Yesterday, he was asked by reporters why he thought he was removed. “Go to Delhi to find out why,” said Mr Rawat, who became the latest in Uttarakhand’s long line of Chief Ministers who could not finish their term.

Tirath Singh Rawat has the task of leading the BJP into polls due in February with just about a year to turn things around. Like his predecessor, he too is low profile and not known to be a mass leader. A former member of the BJP’s ideological mentor RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), he is believed to be more of an organization man.

“I was Sangh pracharak and a minister under the leadership of Trivendra Singh Rawat. I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and the national president. I had never imagined this day,” Tirath Singh Rawat said.