Uttarakhand Govt Crisis: Rawat resigns as CM amid reports of discontent in state BJP; all eyes on today's 10 am meet

On Tuesday, Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, putting an end to days of speculations about a change of leadership in the hill state. According to latest reports, Minister of State Dhan Singh Rawat is the frontrunner for the post of the chief minister. However, nothing has been said officially so far. Rawat, who was slated to complete four years in office on 17 March, submitted his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya at Raj Bhawan. This comes a day after he met the party’s central leadership on Monday amid complaints from a section of Uttarakhand BJP MLAs over his “style of governance.”

**TRACK LIVE UPDATES: Dhan Singh Rawat likely to replace Trivendra Singh Rawat as CM, say reports** According to The Indian Express, the governor, accepting Rawat’s resignation, asked that he remain caretaker chief minister until a suitable replacement is found. Addressing the media on Tuesday, Rawat said, “I have submitted my resignation as the chief minister to the Governor today. BJP legislature party meeting is scheduled to be held at 10 am tomorrow at the party office." According to PTI, before reaching Raj Bhawan, Rawat was closeted at the chief minister’s residence with close associates including cabinet minister Madan Kaushik and state minister Dhan Singh Rawat, who has emerged as a front-runner to succeed him. Sources told PTI that the party may also bring in a deputy chief minister, who will be from the Kumaon region. Pushkar Singh Dhami is likely to be deputy chief minister, the sources added. Rawat was summoned to New Delhi after an unscheduled Uttarakhand BJP core committee meet on Saturday presided over by the party’s national vice president and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh sparked rumours of a possible change of guard in the state. NDTV quoted reports to say he was rated “below average” by BJP MLAs, who felt that his leadership would bring down the party in the 2022 Uttarakhand polls. “There is unrest among a major section of party functionaries and MLAs. They are complaining that officers in districts are not paying heed to their recommendations. They are feeling ignored. In this situation, winning the next Assembly election could be a challenge,” an RSS functionary told The Indian Express. Thanking the BJP, Rawat said the party “gave me the golden opportunity to serve as chief minister for four years.” “I was born in a small village. Only BJP gives so much respect and opportunity to someone who belongs to a simple family from a small village,” Rawat said. Explaining his decision further without elaborating, Rawat added, “It was a unanimous decision that now I should pass on the baton to someone else. I want to thanks the people of the state for giving me the chance to serve.” As per News18, when pressed on the reasons for his resignation, Rawat told reporters they have to visit Delhi to get the answer. Rawat’s government came under the scanner of its handling of the Chamoli flash floods and took heavy fire for pushing to resume work on projects suspended by the Supreme Court. Rawat became chief minister in 2017 after the BJP, in a spectacular performance, bagged 57 of 70 seats. With inputs from PTI