Tirath Singh Rawat, the BJP MP from Pauri Garhwal, has been appointed as the next Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. His name was announced by outgoing Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, after the BJP's Legislative Party meeting in Dehradun on Wednesday. The announcement comes days after Trivendra Singh Rawat stepped down from his role as the CM of the state.

In his youth, Tirath Singh Rawat was the state Vice President of the Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Jana Yuva Morcha for a time, before he was elected to the state Legislative Council in 1997. In 2000, when the state of Uttarakhand was formed, Tirath Singh Rawat served as its first Education Minister.

Quoting a BJP leader, IANS said that along with Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', MPs Ajay Bhatt, Mala Rajya Lakshmi and Naresh Bansal were present in the legislative party meeting when Tirath Singh Rawat was named as the next Chief Minister.

The meeting was called to elect a new Chief Minister of the state, following Trivendra Singh Rawat’s resignation on Tuesday. He tendered his resignation at the Raj Bhavan in Dehradun amid speculations that the BJP is mulling political changes in the state, and that a section of leaders is miffed with Trivendra Singh Rawat’s leadership, and that prospects might not be bright under the former Chief Minister. 

“The party gave me a golden opportunity to serve this state for four years. I had never thought that I would get such an opportunity. The party has now decided that the opportunity to serve as Chief Minister should be given to someone else now,” Trivendra Singh Rawat had told the media after submitting his resignation.

It was speculated that either Ajay Bhatt and Anil Baluni, two senior leaders from the state may take over the leadership. However, Tirath Singh Rawat was chosen by the BJP as the next Chief Minister of the state.

IANS inputs