A MODERATE FOR 2022

On March 10, Tirath Singh Rawat was sworn in as the ninth chief minister of Uttarakhand. The MP from the Pauri-Garhwal Lok Sabha seat replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat, who resigned on March 8.

- Anilesh S. Mahajan

Tirath Singh was picked over heavyweights like Union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj for the top job. Interestingly, in 2017, the BJP had denied Tirath Singh a ticket from his traditional assembly seat Chaubattakhal, in Uttarakhand’s Pauri region, to accommodate Congress turncoat Maharaj.

The decision, say party sources, came straight from the top. Up until March 9, the 56-year-old was not even in the running for the top job in the state. BJP national vice-president Raman Singh and state party in-charge Dushyant Gautam, who were in Dehradun to ensure a smooth transition of power after Trivendra Singh’s resignation, received a call from the prime minister’s office, conveying the decision to appoint Tirath Singh as the new chief minister. Union home minister Amit Shah and party chief J.P. Nadda were reportedly in on the decision to appoint Tirath Singh, who is known to be close to the prime minister. Before that, Dhan Singh Rawat, a minister in Trivendra Singh’s government, had emerged as the front-runner but was possibly done in by his reputation of being overambitious besides being close to the former chief minister.

Tirath Singh has worked with the RSS and its affiliates in various capacities and was the state BJP chief from 2013 to 2015. Considered a team player, the national leadership felt that the soft-spoken Tirath Singh might serve as an antidote to Trivendra Singh and repair the damage done during his time in office.