Uttarakhand Assembly Election 2022: As Dhami Loses, Who Will BJP Pick as CM?

Among the top names for the next CM are Dhan Singh Rawat, Bansidhar Bhagat and Madan Kaushik.

Photo: The Quint

The BJP has swept Uttarakhand but with BJP's incumbent CM Pushkar Singh Dhami losing from the Khatima seat in South Uttarakhand to Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri, it has led to the next big question: who will be the next Chief Minister of Uttarakhand?

This will be Uttarakhand's fourth chief minister in less than year.

Since Uttarakhand doesn't have a Vidhan Parishad (ie an upper house), the only option for Pushkar Singh Dhami to be made the Chief Minister is if he contests a by-election and wins within the next six months.

Among the names doing rounds are Dhan Singh Rawat, Bansidhar Bhagat and Madan Kaushik.

However, the party can also parachute a leader from Delhi or choose a dark horse from among the MLAs. It has been done in the past as a tactic to avoid upsetting the internal party politics, so it is not a possibility that can be completely dismissed at the moment.

Dhan Singh Rawat

Dhan Singh Rawat, 52, was among the top names last year when Trivendra Singh Rawat was removed and replaced with Pushkar Singh Dhami as the state's CM.

Rawat, a Cabinet Minister in Uttarakhand, was contesting from Srinagar constituency from where he contested and won in 2017 as well. He was the party secretary for the BJP in the state when he failed to win the same seat in 2012.

Rawat is currently a State Minister (Independent Charge) with responsibility for health, higher education, disaster management, rehabilitation and protocols.

Dhan Singh Rawat

Photo: Facebook/Dhan Singh Rawat

Bansidhar Bhagat

Bhagat, 72, contested and won from the Kaladhungi seat, in the Kumaon region of Nainital district, which he had also won in 2017 and in 2012.

Bhagat's political history reflects his strong hold in the Kumaun region and unlike the previous CMs, he is a Brahmin. A Brahmin CM might also help the BJP tap into the caste's votebank in the state.

Bansidhar Bhagat was the head of the party's state unit and was replaced in 2021 by Madan Kaushik.

Bansidhar Bhagat

Photo: Facebook/Bansidhar Bhagat

Madan Kaushik

Madan Kaushik, 57, contested and won from the Haridwar constituency from where he has also been a four-time MLA.

Kaushik is the current BJP president in Uttarakhand and one of the party's senior most leaders in the state. He is a known face in the state and understands the party well. He also shares credit in the BJP's win this election.

Kaushik has also served as a Cabinet Minister in the state from 2007 to 2012.

Madan Kaushik

Photo: Facebook/Bansidhar Bhagat