New Delhi: Bhartiya Janata Party has released a list of 59 candidates for the upcoming Uttarakhand election. The saffron party announced the Chief Minister of the state Pushkar Singh Dhami will contest the election from the Khatima constituency.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has offered not to contest the upcoming assembly polls in Uttarakhand.
In a letter to BJP president J P Nadda, the former chief minister asked him to accept his request for not contesting the polls so he could devote all his time towards working to ensure the party's victory.
Trivendra Singh Rawat, who represents the Doiwala constituency in the Uttarakhand assembly, said due to the changed political circumstances in the state, he should not contest the polls.
"There has been a change of guard in the state. It has got a young leader in Pushkar Dhami. In the changed political circumstances, I think I should not contest the 2022 assembly polls. I had apprised the party with my feelings earlier," he said.
Meanwhile, Vijay Rawat, brother of India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat who recently died in a helicopter crash, joined the BJP on Wednesday.
Though Rawat's name does not feature in BJP's first list of 59 candidates out of 70, the saffron party may field him as its candidate in the next list for Uttarakhand, according to PTI sources.
Vijay Rawat, who retired as a colonel from the army, joined the BJP in the presence of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni.
Noting that his father, also a former army officer, was associated with the BJP, Rawat expressed happiness at working for the party and lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he has a unique vision and mindset.
He thinks out of the box and all his efforts are directed towards the country's betterment, Rawat said.
Welcoming Rawat into the party, Dhami said the late CDS wanted to work for the state after retirement and his younger brother will advance his vision.