Is all well in Uttarakhand BJP after Pushkar Singh Dhamis elevation as CM?
They say all's well that ends well. Pushkar Singh Dhami, 45, took oath as the eleventh chief minister of Uttarakhand on Sunday. Dhami replaced Tirath Singh Rawat, who submitted his resignation on Friday, citing a constitutional crisis as his election to the state legislative assembly within the stipulated time might not be possible due to Covid-19. Along with Dhami, 11 MLAs of the BJP were sworn in as members of his council of ministers. They included Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat, Bansidhar Bhagat, Yashpal Arya, Bishan Singh Chuphal, Subodh Uniyal, Dhan Singh Rawat, Arvind Pandey, Ganesh Joshi, Rekha Arya and Swami Yatishwaranand. But not all went down smoothly in the run-up to the oath-taking ceremony in Dehradun on Sunday. Also See: Why the BJP dropped Tirath Singh Rawat as Uttarakhand chief minister  BEHIND THE CURTAINS  On Saturday, the BJP's sudden announcement of Pushkar Singh Dhami's name as the successor to Tirath Singh Rawat took several in the Uttarakhand BJP by surprise. The move was completely unexpected. In pulling a rabbit out of a hat, the BJP had ruffled many feathers. Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat, Yashpal Arya were among the first to leave the legislative party meeting as soon as Dhami's name was announced at the party headquarters in Dehradun. Neither spoke to the media and left in a huff. Up until earlier in the day, Pushkar Singh Dhami's name hadn't even featured as a contender in the fray. While sources close to former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the latter believed he was back in the game this time, others like Satpal Maharaj and another young contender, Dhan Singh Rawat, believed their time had finally come too. But that wasn't to be. While speculation is rife over the reasons behind the BJP's surprise pick, given Pushkar Dhami's administrative inexperience, the same is being cited as the reason why many party seniors are miffed that they would have to work alongside him. When India Today TV asked Dhami about this on Saturday, he said, There is a constitutional procedure in our party and there is democracy. Many stake their claim, and many are given the opportunity to grow as well. But the party takes a decision on the basis of time and circumstances. Many seniors, who were contenders (for the chief ministers post), are much more capable. I will work with them to take the interests of the state and party forward.  Pushkar Singh Dhami is a Thakur from the Kumaon region. Many believe that the BJP may have tried to balance out the caste and regional equations by putting him alongside state party president Madan Kaushik, who is a Brahmin from the plains of Uttarakhand. This could have been done with an eye on the upcoming assembly election in the state. These calculations, however, may amount to nothing if Pushkar Dhami doesn't have the support of his party colleagues. Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony on Sunday, there was a beeline of party MLAs at Madan Kaushiks residence. These included Dhan Singh Rawat and Bishan Singh Chuphal, who were hopeful of their prospects of chief ministership until Saturday. Speaking to the media later on Sunday, 66-year-old Chuphal said, He [Dhami] was elected as the leader of the legislative party. You have to be sworn in to become the chief minister.  It wasn't clear if it was a slip of the tongue or a deliberate message being sent out to the central leadership of the BJP. In fact, if it weren't for the central leadership, the BJP could have faced embarrassment at Sunday's ceremony as many leaders like Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat and Yashpal Arya deliberated upon skipping the event, sources close to the leaders said. It was only when calls went out from Delhi supposedly did many dissenters play ball. Assembly election is around seven months away and Pushkar Dhami has his work cut out. Either he performs and wins over the trust of his colleagues and voters alike, or many of these leaders could be seen flirting with the Congress, and exploring their options for a respectable position. For now, party insiders say wait and watch. Also Read | Why the BJP dropped Tirath Singh Rawat as Uttarakhand chief minister  Also Read | At 45, BJP MLA Pushkar Singh Dhami becomes youngest Uttarakhand CM