By
Sabatini Chatterjee
On July 03, 2021 Pushkar Singh Dhami took charge as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after Tirath Singh Rawat quits citing constitutional crisis on July 02, 2021. Later, he took oath as CM on June 04, 2021 thereby becoming the 11th CM of the Uttarakhand and the youngest person to become a CM at the age of 45 (beating NishankPokhriyal).
The new CM was selected by the State legislature party as its leader under the central supervision of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and BJP general secretary D. Purandareshwari.Mr. Pushkar Singh Dhami was also a two-term MLA from Khatima, in Udham Singh Nagar which is bordering Nepal. Initially, during his early days of politics he was a part of Bharatiya Janata Morcha (BJYM), and was later elevated to the general secretary and party vice-president of the state. He is also closely associated with former Chief Minister and current Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and the current Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Nonetheless, he might face similar consequences as Tirath Singh Rawat. As because Rawat, is not an elected member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). And, it is mandatory condition for a Chief Minister or a Minister in any state.As per the rules, Mr. Rawat, who assumed office of the CM of Uttarakhand on March 10, 2021 had to be elected to the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Uttarakhand in six months which is before September 10, 2021.
In similar veins, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, who took oath as the West Bengal Chief Minister on May 05, 2021 has to get elected to the West Bengal Assembly before November 05, 2021. Like Rawat, Banerjee is also bound by similar rules (as mentioned above). Of late, the West Bengal government had also urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct pending by-polls in the West Bengal as soon as possible. As per PTI report, the state government gave assurance that all COVID19 protocols will be adhered to during the process.
However, there is difference in these two cases i.e., in Uttarakhand, Rawat quit since by-polls were due on two seats, and it could not be held before September 10 because the assembly polls are scheduled in the state in less than a year. But in West Bengal, where the new government under Ms. Mamata Banerjee assumed office in the first week of May, no such clause will come into play as assembly polls are almost 5-years away in 2026.
The first author works as a Research Assistant at the Cultural Research Institute, Kolkata under Backward Class Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal.