To fulfil regional aspirations, Uttarakhand may get deputy CM from Garhwal

To adequately address the regional aspirations of Garhwal and Kumaon, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may appoint a deputy Chief Minister from the Garhwal region, along with the swearing-in of Pushkar Singh Dhami as new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, sources said on Sunday.

"Discussions are going on within party to appoint a deputy Chief Minister from Garhwal region to give equal representation and maintain a balance between to both Garhwal and Kumaon regions, as Pushkar Singh Dhami belongs to Kumaon region," said sources.

The development comes ahead of Dhami's swearing-in at 5 pm today.

There were also reports of displeasure among senior party leaders and MLAs over the appointment of Dhami as the next Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, ahead of taking oath as the next Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday paid courtesy visits to his two predecessors Tirath Singh Rawat and Trivendra Singh Rawat at their respective residences.

The two-time MLA from Khatima constituency, Dhami (45) will be the youngest chief minister of Uttarakhand. Notably, Dhami has never been a minister in the state government and now is all set to swear in as the chief minister, overlooking many senior leaders.

The consensus on the Uttarakhand Chief Minister was reached after the BJP legislature party meet on Saturday afternoon in Dehradun.

Polls for the 70 member Uttarakhand Assembly are likely to take place in early 2022.

The BJP swept the elections in 2017, winning 57 seats in the 70 member Assembly.

( With inputs from ANI )