Will Uttarakhand get a new chief minister?

Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat needs to be elected as an MLA in the next two months to continue in the post, which he got after the BJP leadership removed Trivendra Singh Rawat from the helm. But the Election Commission may not hold a bypoll in the state, in case of which Rawat will have to be replaced with someone who is already an MLA

Uttarakhand is abuzz with speculation over another leadership change, given the possibility that the Election Commission may not hold a bypoll in the state enabling Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat's election to the state assembly. Rawat needs to be elected as an MLA in the next two months to continue in the post, which he got after the BJP leadership removed Trivendra Singh Rawat from the helm. But observers say with the term of the assembly in any case coming to an end in less than a year, the EC may not order a bypoll for the vacant seats in Uttarakhand. Scathing criticism by the courts of the string of elections held during the coronavirus pandemic may also contribute to the EC decision on Uttarakhand bypolls, it is felt. Speculation over a change of guard in the state was fuelled by Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat being summoned suddenly on Wednesday to Delhi, where he meet the BJP's top leaders including party president J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He was supposed to return here on Thursday (July 1) itself but stayed back. According to the Constitution, Rawat, an MP from Pauri Garhwal who was sworn in as CM on March 10, needs to become a member of the state assembly before September 10 to continue in office. Section 151A of the Representation of People Act, 1951 mandates the Election Commission to fill vacancies in Parliament and the state legislatures through bypolls within six months from the date of their occurrence, provided that the remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is one year or more.