What led to Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat’s resignation?

New Delhi, Mar 10: Uttarakhand has seen political instability since 2000 when the hill state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh. On March 9, Trivendra Singh Rawat became the sixth chief miniter from the BJP to have resigned. So far Uttarakhand has seen only one CM, Congress veteran N D Tiwari completing a full term.

The development is also a rare move by the BJP to replace a Chief Minister for non-performance. So, what led to the sudden resignation of Rawat, an obscure RSS 'pracharak' who later became BJP's chief minister for the hill state.

Reportedly, the discord over Rawat had been going on since he took office in 2017, but the dwindling popularity of Rawat, resentment within the party has been building over his style of functioning has brought the issue into the fore now.

Some MLAs alleged that Rawat was being partial to some officers by giving them immunity, while forest officers in the mountains were given a cold shoulder.

The rebellion brew inside the party after Rawat's decision to announce Gairsain as a new administrative division. Rawat declared the town a new administrative division, creating a third commissionerate after Kumaon and Garhwal.

Rawat's failure to connect with the party cadre is also believed to have gone against him.

There was also growing anger at the stalling of a Cabinet expansion by the Chief Minister. While the Uttarakhand Cabinet can have 12 ministers, there were only seven ministers including the CM.