PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is all set to create the record of being the longest serving CM of Uttarakhand. On July 4, Dhami will complete five years as the CM and become the first Bharatiya Janata Party CM to complete continuous five- year tenure in office. After five days, he will also beat the record set by the Congress stalwart Narayan Dutt Tiwari who served as the CM of the State for a period of five years and five days (March 2, 2002 to March 7, 2007).
Dhami first assumed the charge as the CM on July 4, 2021 when the BJP high command surprised everyone by picking him to replace Teerath Singh Rawat. The BJP contested the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections under Dhami’s leadership. The party broke the myth of power changing hands every five years in this election and came back to power in Uttarakhand. Though Dhami was defeated by Bhuwan Kapdi of Congress in his traditional Khatima Assembly constituency, the party reposed faith in him and reappointed him as the CM of the State for a second consecutive term.
Dhami’s feat is being considered an achievement of sorts in the politically sensitive Uttarakhand. The State has seen 10 CMs after its creation in November 2000. In his back to back tenures, Dhami has focussed on good governance and carried forward the Hindutva agenda. Under his leadership, Uttarakhand became the first Indian State to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). After its successful implementation in Uttarakhand many BJP ruled States have implemented UCC following the Uttarakhand model. Dhami has also undertaken a campaign against what he termed land Jihad by removing illegal encroachments in the State. Under his leadership the State government has enacted a stringent anti-copying law, anti- religious conversion law, anti-riot law and a land law.
