The Trinamool Congress, however, thinks that the situation in Uttarakhand and Bengal cannot be compared.
Kolkata: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has finally resigned paving the way for Pushkar Singh Dhami to be appointed the new CM. Many, however, say the BJP leadership’s decision to remove Tirath Rawat was to embarrass Mamata Banerjee on moral grounds.
Where is the connection between the two? Tirath Rawat had replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand in March. According to the Constitution, a chief minister who is not a member of the state Assembly has to fight a by-election within six months of being sworn in, and get elected to the state Vidhan Sabha. Tirath Rawat’s deadline would have ended on 10 September.
And despite the Trinamool Congress winning with a huge majority in the recent West Bengal Assembly polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself lost in Nandigram to Suvendu Adhikari. But the Election Commission is hesitant to conduct elections in the country due to the Covid-19 situation. According to a section of the political establishment, the BJP wants to use this opportunity to send a message of “indirect sympathy” by removing Tirath Rawat.
In the words of one BJP leader, “The candidate who lost the election should not be the chief minister.” Due to the fact that it is difficult to get votes in Uttarakhand now, the BJP has thought of removing Tirath Rawat; Mamata Banerjee should also step down for the time being on moral grounds, the BJP leader said.
However, Trinamool MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy said, “The situation in the two states cannot be compared. Assembly polls in Uttarakhand are in early next year. That is why there may be reluctance to hold by-elections in this corona atmosphere in such a short time. But just in May, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress came to power with a huge majority. So there is no reason not to hold a by-election.” Mamata Banerjee herself has recently demanded that the Election Commission rectify the situation quickly.
The Election Commission has sent a letter to Nabanna to contest the Rajya Sabha seats in the state. Mamata Banerjee has said that there is no objection to holding the Rajya Sabha elections. But she is also in favour of winning the by-election at a time when the Covid-19 situation in the state is in control. She informed the Election Commission in writing on Saturday. After his resignation, Tirath Rawat said, “By-elections are not possible now because of the corona crisis. I resigned for moral reasons, keeping in mind that there could be a constitutional crisis. “ According to a section in political circiles, Mamata Banerjee has until November to win the by-elections. Already, the TMC has questioned why the Election Commission is allegedly avoiding polls at the behest of the BJP. As a result, the pressure on the Election Commission to expedite the by-elections is likely to increase.