Despite the exit polls suggesting otherwise, the Bhartiya Janta Party secured a second consecutive term in the state of Uttarakhand. The state of Uttarakhand has witnessed the BJP and Congress coming to power every alternate election since the formation of the state. But, the BJP has set a record to sweep the hill state yet again. However, the major concern for the party was who will be the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand?
The speculations on various names for the Chief Ministerial post of Uttarakhand had set the political corridors abuzz. Marking a full stop to these speculations, BJP has stepped in with the decision to retain Pushkar Singh Dhami as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.
Pushkar Singh Dhami to continue ruling Uttarakhand
The BJP announced on Monday that Pushkar Singh Dhami will continue as the chief minister of Uttarakhand. After being elected as the leader of the Uttarakhand BJP legislative party on Monday, Dhami said, “We will fulfil all the commitments that we made to people ahead of the polls. The uniform civil code is an important one among them and we will fulfil it too.”
Pushkar Singh Dhami’s name for the Chief Minister came as the surprise to many as the 46 years old has lost the February election from Khatima, which he had won in previous assembly elections.
Why Dhami despite losing his seat, has been chosen as the CM? Well, the party seems to have given him a second chance for many reasons. First, the length and breadth of his work as the CM after he replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat last year, made the party believe in his leadership skills. Second, the party despite having many faces in the race for Chief Ministerial post did not have a better option than Dhami. Third, Dhami is a youth leader unlike others in the race to become Chief Minister of Uttarakhand which makes him suitable for the cabinet.
For those unversed, Dhami, a Thakur leader, was sworn in as the chief minister last year when Trivendra Singh Rawat was removed from the position. He is a former president of the BJP youth wing and thus enjoys cordial relations with the young cadres. Dhami played a key role to keep an eye on anti-incumbency.
How Dhami will change the fate of Uttarakhand?
Uttarakhand is losing its basic structure as a ‘Devbhoomi’. Earlier as reported by TFI, districts of Udham Singh Nagar, Champawat and Pithoragarh, in the Kumaon region bordering Nepal are facing rapid demographic changes. Due to the encroachment, communal harmony is severely disturbed in a few areas. As of now, every religion has its law and thus, it becomes mandatory to implement UCC in the state.
Here comes the necessity of Dhami as the CM. While the centre has remained rather dormant on the issue, it is Dhami who had announced before the elections that if re-elected, a committee to draft UCC will be constituted.
He had stated, “Soon after our oath-taking ceremony, the upcoming BJP government will form a committee of those with knowledge of the legal system, retired employees, prominent people from society and other stakeholders. This committee will prepare a draft of the uniform civil code for the people of Uttarakhand. This UCC will be for equal laws on subjects like marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for people of all religions.”
Read more: Reasons why Uttarakhand chose BJP
Dhami, in his last tenure as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, worked hard to remove ‘traces of the anti-incumbency factor and to ensure a developing atmosphere in the hill state.
In a statement, he had informed, “I have asked all departments to prepare and present a road map for the next ten years so that we can start working on them right away. The state has already been battered by a series of natural disasters and we are fully focussed on development without losing time.”
He also ensured easier policies for filmmakers aiming at the pleasurable experience of filmmaking in his picturesque state. Moreover, he had also worked to curb the problems of land jihad, changing demography and other infrastructure issues.
Witnessing Dhami’s last tenure as the Chief Minister, it is quite evident that under his leadership, Uttarakhand will continue to develop and will rightfully fight with the menace of land jihad and disrupted communal harmony with the implementation of UCC.