Even though Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lost from his own constituency, the BJP’s gamble to appoint him as Chief Minister just seven months before the elections seems to have worked to its advantage, particularly in the mountainous parts of Garhwal and Kumaon. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi was more instrumental in giving the party a repeat victory in the State, the Central leadership’s decision to remove Trivendra Singh Rawat as Chief Minister and bring in Mr. Dhami eventually (after Tirath Singh Rawat’s brief stint) seems to have played a role too.
Lokniti’s post-poll data found Mr. Dhami’s seven-month-old government to be better rated than the BJP’s five-year government in the State and far better rated than Trivendra Singh Rawat’s four-year tenure. While dissatisfaction with the Rawat government was found to be greater than satisfaction with it (61% as opposed to 33%), in the case of Mr. Dhami’s government, more people were found to be satisfied (59%) than dissatisfied (32%).
