Even if within 24 hours of resignation of Trivendra Singh Rawat as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand the BJP central leadership has found a replacement and has inducted Tirath Singh Rawat as the new CM, discussions across the national political circle over what exactly prompted the decision refuse to ebb away. While there are a host of issues that went against the outgoing CM with his ‘under-performance’ projected as the prime reason, it’s not difficult to understand even for anyone with a faint knowledge of politics of the hill state that it was an well-crafted move to negate the rising anti-incumbency factor ahead of assembly polls slated next year. Whether the maneuver will pay off will be a speculation, but it speaks volumes of BJP’s ability to foresee the future and the always-alive intra-party ecosystem it carefully nurtures that gives ways for timely course corrections. It’s not without reasons why the party, organisationally, is going from strength to strength, often admitted by many of its staunchest critics.
Though apparently the change seemed impromptu, the fact is it was at least three months earlier since when discontent among the party ranks in Uttarakhand was brewing and the top leadership was actually keeping track of it. Reportedly, among many factors, a unilateral decision announcing Gairsain as the third administrative division resulting in wide dissatisfaction among the people of Kumaon region has been the principal reason. Moreover, the outgoing CM has also been accused of consulting less with his cabinet colleagues in taking key policy decisions, encouraging a bureaucrat-centric style of functioning and maintaining a low level of connectivity with party workers, unsuitable in a cadre-based party like the BJP. It’s also believed that it was entirely due to his past career spanning 20 years as an RSS member and his proximity to the higher echelons of the party that kept him going over his tenure, just 9 days short from completing a full four-year term. But, when it comes to taking people’s mandate and especially when in retaining power, it’s natural that in the BJP such factors will lose importance. Quite expectedly, the opposition comprising the Congress and AAP have labelled it as an ‘admission of failure’ by the BJP and it will no doubt be used by them as an arsenal, immediately in launching political attacks and subsequently while convincing the voters there. Moreover, the other compulsion which hardly anyone is talking about is that BJP wants to send a message to the electorate of the 5 states/UTs going to polls very shortly that it wants to uphold the quality of the governance it delivers and is open to ‘rectifications’ as and when necessary.
However, it remains to be seen how the Uttarakhand rectification clicks. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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