New Delhi, July 3

Pushkar Singh Dhami will be the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. His name was proposed at the BJP legislature party meeting in Dehradun on Saturday.

Dhami, who has the responsibility of leading the faction-ridden state unit in the Assembly polls due next year, will take oath on Sunday.

The 45-year-old will be the youngest CM of the state. He replaces Tirath Singh Rawat, who resigned on Friday night within four months of taking charge from Trivendra Singh Rawat. Speaking to the media, Dhami said he would try to win people’s hearts by serving as the “pratham sewak” of the state. He said he would try to “turn the challenge of 2022 elections into an opportunity” for his party.

Dhami represents the Khatima constituency in Udham Singh Nagar district, the “terai” region dominated by farmers, mainly from the Sikh community, and the epicentre of the anti-farm laws protests in the state. He is only the second BJP CM from the Kumaon region.

Dhami is believed to be close to former CM and currently Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Dhami will be the third BJP CM during the present BJP regime after Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tirath Singh Rawat. — TNS

Challenges ahead

• Dhami takes over at a time when the party is gearing up for the Assembly polls early next year
• The 45-year-old MLA from Khatima inherits a pile of problems from his predecessors
• A Covid-hit economy, suspended Char Dham yatra & fake testing scam are challenges to grapple with