Pushkar Singh Dhami to be Uttarakhand CM again as BJP declares him legislature party leader

Dehradun | Jagran Politics Desk: Pushkar Singh Dhami, despite losing the Uttarakhand assembly elections 2022 from Khatima, will continue to serve as the Chief Minister of the hill state, at least for six months, announced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday evening, ending the 10-day suspense.

This was announced following the legislative party meeting of the BJP that was attended by the saffron party's central observers for Uttarakhand - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi and the party's poll incharge for the state Pralhad Joshi.

"Pushkar Singh Dhami has been elected as the Leader of the Legislative Party. I congratulate him, I am confident that under his leadership Uttarakhand will make rapid progress," Rajnath Singh told news agency ANI after the meeting.

The BJP got a historic second term in Uttarakhand after it bagged 47 seats in the 70-member legislative assembly of the state in the 2022 polls. However, Chief Minister Dhami unexpectedly lost against Congress' Bhuwan Kapri by nearly 7,000 votes in Khatima, a seat he had been winning since the 2012 Assembly polls.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Dhami got 40,675 votes while Kapri received 47,626 votes.

However, Dhami on Monday pipped Chaubattakhal MLA Satpal Maharaj, Shrinagar MLA Dhan Singh Rawat, former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt, and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni to get another term.

However, Dhami would need to get elected to the legislative assembly of the state within six months via by-elections to continue serving as the Chief Minister. According to ANI, six BJP MLAs are ready to vacate their seats to allow Dhami to get elected to the state assembly.

Political observers, quoted by news agency PTI, also credit BJP's success in Uttarakhand elections to Dhami. They said his contribution to the party's good electoral performance cannot be overlooked.

However, if the party goes for a new face, the necessity to strike a caste and regional balance will be a deciding factor. The party will also try to give a CM who can keep his flock together and completes the whole five-year term, experts feel.