After Rawat, who? A look at four front-runners

Hours before Trivendra Singh Rawat formally put in his resignation as Uttarakhand chief minister, names of some ‘successors’ started doing the rounds in political circles – state minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Lok Sabha MP Ajay Bhatt, Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni, and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Of the four, only Dhan Singh is a member of Uttarakhand Assembly at present. A look at the four front-runners:

Dhan Singh Rawat: A first-time MLA from Srinagar, in Pauri Garhwal, Rawat, 51, was state minister (independent charge) in the Trivendra Rawat cabinet. Before joining politics, he was a full-time ABVP worker and served as its state secretary and organisation secretary from 2000 to 2004. In the government, he was considered close to ex-CM Rawat and had at times reviewed work of departments held by the latter. When Rawat cancelled his Chamoli visit on Monday and rushed to Delhi, Dhan Singh attended two events there as the CM’s representative. BJP insiders call Dhan Singh a man dedicated to party organisation.

Ajay Bhatt: First elected MLA from Ranikhet in 1996 in UP Assembly, Bhatt was a Cabinet minister in the interim government headed by Bhagat Singh Koshiyari in 2001-2002. He won twice in the state Assembly polls — 2002 and 2012 — but the party lost power on both occasions. And the two occasions he lost — in 2007 and 2017 – the BJP formed the government. Bhatt was elected to Lok Sabha in 2019 from Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar. Popular in party for his organisation skills, Bhatt was in the race for CM post before the 2017 Assembly polls.

Anil Baluni: A Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand, Baluni is BJP’s chief spokesperson and national media in-charge. He is in the reckoning considering his long and close association with the state; his role working with Union ministers in the past to launch key infrastructure projects and his many social and development initiatives.

Bhagat Singh Koshyari: The ex-CM’s name cannot be ruled out while exploring names of probable CM, according to a senior BJP leader. A former RSS pracharak known for his simple lifestyle, Koshyari, 78, is Governor of Maharashtra and Goa at present.