Dehradun, Jul 3 : Pushkar Singh Dhami, Member of Legislative Assembly from Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar, was Today chosen as the leader of Uttarakhand unit of BJP and next chief minister of the state.

Pushkar will succeed Tirath Singh Rawat, who tendered his resignation on Friday to Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya.

A high-level meeting was called by the BJP in Dehradun under the chairmanship of Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to select the new CM.

Pushkar, 41, hails from Nagta Tarai village in Khatima of Udham Singh Nagar. He is a law graduate and was elected to the Assembly in 2017.

He will the 10th chief minister to the state, carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

Only Congress leader N D Tiwari completed the full five years term in the 21-year-old history of the state.

Pushkar will also be the third chief minister that the state will see this year.

In first week of March, Tirath, a Lok Sabha MP, was appointed as the chief minister after Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned from the top post.

According to sources, Tirath was in legal limbo as he was not a member of the state Legislative Assembly and needed to become one before September 10 when the six-month period granted by Constitution expires.

Mr Rawat could have cemented his position by winning a bypoll before September 10, but as per the sources, in view of the COVID-19 situation, the Election Commission was reluctant to hold any polls in the coming months.

Uttarakhand assembly polls are slated early next year.(UNI)