Kailash Chandra Gahtori, the construction magnate who sacrificed seat for Uttarakhand CM Dhami

After resigning, Gahtori congratulated his constituency for “getting a sitting chief minister as its representative”. A builder by profession and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member since an early age, Gahtori defeated Hemesh Kharkwal of the Congress by 5,300 votes in the polls to become MLA for the second straight term. In 2017, his victory margin over Kharkwal was more than 17,000 votes.

“We have seen the work done in just six months by CM Dhami during his first tenure. The kind of work efficiency he has is unmatched. If such a leader fell short of a personal win, but led others to victory, it is the duty of soldiers like me to come forward. Champawat is obliged that a small constituency like it is going to be the constituency of a chief minister. As far as I am concerned, I will get many more chances to become an MLA. This step by me is not to get praise or applaud,” he said.

आज देहरादून यमुना कॉलोनी स्थित शासकीय आवास पर चंपावत विधानसभा सीट से भाजपा विधायक श्री कैलाश चंद्र गहतोड़ी जी ने विधानसभा की सदस्यता से अपना त्यागपत्र सौंपा। pic.twitter.com/frfstrEADv

— Ritu Khanduri Bhushan (@RituKhanduriBJP) April 21, 2022

Party officials said state BJP president Madan Kaushik, Cabinet ministers Chandan Ram Das, Saurabh Bahuguna and MLA Khajan Das were present when the 54-year-old Gahtori submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri at her official residence. According to BJP media in-charge Manveer Chauhan, Khanduri accepted the resignation.

Gahtori ran a successful construction business in Madhya Pradesh and after returning to the state in 2002, contested his first Vidhan Sabha election from Lohaghat as an Independent candidate. After the defeat, he went back to focusing on his business. In 2012, he was inducted into the BJP state working committee. The following year, he won the Zila Panchayat election in Champawat. Other than the construction business, Gahtori also runs two schools and a hotel in the Kashipur area of the district.