Uttarakhand: 4 months, 3 Chief Ministers

The resignation of Tirath Singh Rawat as chief minister and the appointment of Pushkar Singh Dhami as the new leader of Uttarakhand brings into stark focus the failure of the BJP to provide a stable government in the state where it has got an overwhelming strength of 57 MLAs in a 70-member Assembly. Rawat was in office for only 114 days and had been selected by the party’s central leadership to replace Trivendra Singh Rawat who had become unpopular with his style of functioning, lack of contact with MLAs and some controversial decisions. The party decided that it should go into the Assembly elections to be held next year under a new leader. But Tirath Singh Rawat exited last week with nothing much to show other than a reversal of some of his predecessor’s decisions and some embarrassing statements.

The ostensible reason for Tirath Singh’s resignation is that he would not have been able to meet the constitutional requirement of getting elected to the Assembly within six months. But there was a by-election in the state in April which he did not contest for unknown reasons. Just like his predecessor, he was also considered an imposition from the Central leadership. Handpicking leaders and foisting them on states has become the norm for the BJP, as in the case of the Congress which started the practice some decades ago. This has coincided with the rise of Narendra Modi as the supreme leader.

Also read: Dhami meets Satpal Maharaj, efforts on to persuade sulking BJP MLAs in Uttarakhand

Many leaders who had roots in their states have been eclipsed and the new leaders owe their positions to the top leadership. This has set the party back in states like Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand. When state governments and parties are run by remote control from Delhi, they become weak. Dhami is also a central nominee, and does not even have ministerial experience. There are already reports of unhappiness about his selection.

Uttarakhand has its special political and social circumstances that made governments unstable. Ever since its formation in 2000, the state has had 10 chief ministers, and only ND Tiwari completed a full term. It has especially been vulnerable because of its caste and regional fault lines. The divide between the Garhwal and the Kumaon regions and the rivalry between Brahmins and Rajputs has been a problem for the BJP in the state. When it selected Tirath Singh as chief minister in March, it tried a communal balance with a Brahmin from the plains as party president. Dhami is a Rajput, and it is to be seen whether he can lead the party to success in the Assembly elections in which it will face stiff contests from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).