Lok Sabha MP from Garhwal, Tirath Singh Rawat was elected the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand by the BJP legislative party in Dehradun on March 10 after the resignation of Trivendra Singh Rawat on March 9. He will be sworn in on Wednesday evening in Dehradun

The meeting of the BJP Legislative Party was held under the supervision of central observers — former Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Lok Sabha MP Dushyant Gautam.

Mr. Tirath Singh Rawat, 57, was the Uttarakhand BJP chief in 2013-2015 and was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council before the creation of Uttarakhand during 1997-2002. He has been MLA in Uttarakhand in 2012-2017, and previously held the post of Education Minister in the State in 2000-2002.

A long-time member of the BJP, Mr. Tirath Singh Rawat was the dark horse in the race for Chief Ministership where the only thing clear was that the choice would devolve on a person from the Rajput community.

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A low profile person, Mr. Tirath Singh Rawat is considered very close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and was his close aide during the latter’s vistarak programme of organisational strengthening in 2016-2017 held over a period of 120 days.

“In 2017, he was prevented from getting a ticket by a camp led by his predecessor after which Mr. Shah appointed him national secretary in the BJP with the charge of handling party affairs in Himachal Pradesh. He is the kind of man who doesn’t have an entourage of staff and most often answers his own phone,” said a senior leader. It is being hoped that this, more low key, amiable appointment may heal some of the ruptures within the state unit, which revolted against Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat.

Sources also said that one of the first things that the new Chief Minister has been tasked to do by the party high command is to roll back two unpopular decisions of the previous Chief Minister — the Chardham Devasthanam Management Board Act, and the setting up of the Gairsain Commissionerate.

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The Act sought to extend government control over 51 Hindu shrines including Badrinath and Kedarnath, sparking massive protests by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other hindu outfits. The Gairsain Commissionerate was set up amalgamating Almora from Kumaon, and Badrinath and Kedarnath sub-divisions from Garhwal sparking massive resentment.

With Uttarakhand facing polls in February next year, the BJP is hoping that people may take the change as a sign that the party was responsive to public criticism of its leaders and had taken action.