Uttarakhand Guv invites BJP's Rawat to form govt
Rawat is a former RSS pracharak and enjoys the support of BJP President Amit Shah.
Dehradun: BJP leader Trivendra Singh Rawat has been elected as the Legislative Party leader in Uttarakhand and will take oath as the chief minister tomorrow.
Governor KK Paul invited him to form the government in the state on Friday evening after Rawat claimed he had the support of 57 MLAs.
Rawat is a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak and enjoys the support of BJP President Amit Shah. The two worked closely together during the 2014 national election when Shah was in charge of UP and Rawat was his deputy.
BJP won 57 out of the 70 seats in Uttarakhand, demolishing the ruling Congress in the recently concluded elections. The new Uttarakhand CM and cabinet will be sworn in tomorrow at Dehradun’s parade ground. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Amit Shah will attend the ceremony.
Rawat defeated Congress' Hira Singh Bisht in the Doiwala constituency with a margin of over 24,000 votes.
The 56-year-old BJP leader, who holds a masters degree in journalism, is currently in-charge of the party's Jharkhand unit.
He was elected to the assembly for the third time and was state agriculture minister in 2007-2012.