A day after Tirath Singh Rawat resigned as the chief minister of Uttarakhand, the BJP has chosen two-term MLA Pushkar Singh Dhami as his successor.
The decision was taken after 57 Uttarakhand BJP MLAs convened at the party headquarters in Dehradun.
The 45-year-old CM is a legislator representing Khatima constituency of the Udham Singh Nagar district. Dhami has never held a ministerial position in the cabinet.
He is largely lauded for his role in mobilising the youth for the party. He has served various roles leading the young cadres, including as president of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha for two terms.
Dhami, an advocate by profession, has long been associated with the BJP and its other wings. His association dates back to his student days at Lucknow University, where he was with the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
He is also considered close to former Uttarakhand CM and current Maharashtra governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari. And under Koshyari, Dhami had served as the officer on special duty. He is also reportedly close to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Upon his election as CM, Dhami said, "My party has appointed a common worker, son of an ex-serviceman, who was born in Pithoragarh to serve the state. We'll work together for people's welfare. We accept the challenge of serving people with the help of others, in a short time span."
Dhami is now the third CM in four months. Tirath Sigh Rawat, who made several controversial remarks in his brief stint, resigned on Friday following uncertainty over his win in the bypolls to secure the chief ministerial post.
Uttarakhand will go to polls in less than a year.