Saturday, 03 July 2021 | PNS | Dehradun/New Delhi
Quit to obviate constitutional crisis as I could not fight poll within 6 months, says Rawat
Ending days of speculation, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat submitted his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya late on Friday.
Addressing the media after tendering his resignation, Rawat said he had resigned from the post of Chief Minister to avoid possible constitutional crisis arising out of a situation where he could not be elected to the Assembly within six months.
He said he is thankful to the party’s central leadership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for giving him the opportunity to serve in various positions.
On being asked about why he had not contested the Salt Assembly bypoll, he said he was Covid positive at that time and not in a position to contest the bypoll. Since the Election Commission does not hold bypoll if Assembly elections are scheduled within a year, Rawat could not have been elected to Assembly to continue as Chief Minister.
BJP State president Madan Kaushik, Cabinet Ministers Subodh Uniyal, Bishan Singh Chufal and some other party leaders also accompanied Rawat to the Raj Bhawan.
Earlier in Delhi, Rawat offered to resign in a letter to BJP national president JP Nadda.
Before returning to Dehradun late in the evening, Rawat sought time to meet the Governor to tender his resignation.
Rawat returned to Dehradun late in the evening and held a Press conference where he listed the achievements of his four-month-old Government. However, he ducked all questions on the possibility of his resignation, which was a foregone conclusion.
From the Press conference, Rawat drove to his residence. Soon, BJP State president Madan Kaushik and Cabinet Minister Bishan Singh Chufal and other party leaders reached his residence.
The BJP has convened a meeting of its legislature party at 3 pm on Saturday where a new leader in place of Rawat will be elected. Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will be the BJP observer to conduct the meeting and take the view of the MLAs to elect a new leader.
Rawat met Nadda for the second time in three days during his Delhi visit on Friday and submitted the resignation letter to him. Rawat has been the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for just about 112 days. He was sworn in on March 10 after his predecessor Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned on directions of the party’s central leadership.
Among those in the race for the Chief Minister’s post are current Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj and Minister of State Dhan Singh Rawat. BJP State president Kaushik and Chufal are also in the reckoning.
Facing the September 10 deadline for getting elected to Uttarakhand Assembly, the State Chief Minister was up against an “uncertain future” with the Central BJP leadership not keen on a bypoll with a new State Assembly polls only seven months away.
Rawat needed to get elected to the Assembly in six-month time but the Covid-19 sealed his fate.
The Covid-19 conditions and its second wave had made Election Commission to be extra-cautious in holding bye-polls, particularly after it faced criticism for conducting West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry polls while Covid-19 spell still continuing in these States.
Like Rawat, West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee is also looking at bypoll to get elected to the State Assembly.
Rawat has been camping here for the last two days after he rushed to the national Capital at the call of the high command and met Shah and Nadda.
According to the Constitution, leaders who are not members of the legislature can be appointed as Ministers but they will have to secure legislative membership within six months of being sworn in, or lose the position.
But the Representation of the People Act stipulates that bypolls for a seat should be held if the incumbent elected has at least a year’s tenure to serve which is not there in case of the incumbent Chief Minister.
To add to Uttarakhand Chief Minister ‘s woes, the State does not have a legislative council, for which there is an indirect election and direct appointment by the Governor.
Rawat had tuned controversial following his unambiguous clearance to the holding of Kumbh during the second Covid-19 wave as also for inadvertent comment that America made slave of India for 200 years and that women should not be wearing “ripped jeans”.
He also made several controversial remarks including what dress women should wear. During the better part of his tenure he has been in the centre of one after another controversy.
The Congress has set its eye on the State Assembly polls as anti-incumbency factor weighing against the ruling BJP. The central leadership had brought in Tirath to mitigate the anti-incumbency factor against his predecessor. This too seems to have backfired for the ruling State BJP which is already riven with factionalism.
