Vacated seat as Dhami deserves a full five-year term: Gahtori

Dehradun, April 21

BJP MLA Kailash Chandra Gahtori, who quit his Champawat assembly seat to enable Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to contest from there, on Thursday said he did it to help the “young” leader to work full term to meet the expectations of the central leadership.

“Six months ago, poll analysts were not giving the BJP more than 20 seats in the assembly polls. But the chief minister worked hard and people gave 47 out of 70 assembly seats to the party,” Gahtori said shortly after quitting his seat.

“It was no less than a miracle. It was possible because of Dhami’s young leadership. I thought he deserves a full five-year term to meet the expectations of the party’s central leadership from him and so I vacated my seat,” Gahtori told reporters.

Pradesh BJP president Madan Kaushik said the party workers in Champawat had sent a proposal for fielding the chief minister from that seat and Gahtori who is very popular in the constituency had expressed his desire to vacate the seat for him.

Kaushik said the party is ready for the by-poll whenever it takes place.

Dhami needs to be elected to the state assembly within six months of being sworn in to continue as the chief minister.