Tirath Singh Rawat takes oath as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand

Tirath Singh Rawat took oath as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on Wednesday (March 10). The 56-year-old leader replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat who had stepped down from the post on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Tirath Singh had met Governor Baby Rani Maurya to stake a claim to form the government in the state. He was elected as leader of the BJP legislature, party paving way for him to take over as the state chief minister.

PM Modi congratulated Rawat on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. "He brings with him vast administrative and organisational experience. I am confident under his leadership the state will continue to scale new heights of progress," he tweeted.

He was the chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttarakhand from 2013 to 2015. He was also an MLA from the state in the past.

His name was picked over prominent candidates including Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Uttarakhand Minister Dhan Singh Rawat.

Who is Tirath Singh Rawat?
He was the state vice president of Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

In 1997, he was elected as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and was elected as president of the legislative council of Uttar Pradesh.

Tirath Singh Rawat is an MP from Garhwal in Uttarakhand.  

With a background from Rashtriya Swayam Sewak, he is considered to be close to the RSS.

He was once considered a confidant of BC Khanduri and was also the state's party president.