BJP bets on Dhami, affects gen shift in Uttarakhand ahead of polls

NEW DELHI: Not satisfied with the performance of the known leaders, the BJP top brass was left with limited options and took a major gamble by nominating a lesser known second-time MLA Pushkar Singh Dhami as Uttarakhand CM.
The decision, in what is seen as a generation shift, is also an attempt to spur the party cadre ahead of the state election.
Other than belonging to the Rajput community, which constitutes over 32% of the state population, Dhami’s long term organisational experience and rapport with party cadres came handy for him. Successive wins from Khatima in Kumaon region counted as a factor as the region is considered a stronghold of Congress veteran and former CM Harish Rawat.
Party sources said Ritu Khanduri Bhushan, daughter of senior party leader and former CM B C Khanduri, and MLA from Yamkeshwar, was also considered as Tirath Singh Rawat’s replacement. However, her elevation was seen as a compromise with the party’s opposition to dynastic succession in politics. Being a first time MLA, she lost the race to second time lawmaker Dhami. Party sources said appointing Khanduri as deputy CM was considered, which could have worked as a caste (Brahmin) as well as regional balancing act with Garhwal getting a nominee.
Dhami is only the second BJP leader from Kumaon region after his mentor and Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to take over as state CM. Party sources claimed that his elevation will be a direct challenge to Harish Rawat’s hegemony in the region.
Most of the senior BJP leaders and known faces hail from Garhwal. However, Dhami faces an uphill task as assembly polls are a few months away and his appointment is set to cause resentment among party leaders who were aspiring to take the mantle after two CMs were changed in four months. Although Koshyari has been holding a constitutional position, he seems to have played a crucial role in the nomination.