Uttarakhand CM Rawat excluded from panel of BJP's 6 potential candidates for Salt bypoll

The BJP's Uttarakhand unit on Saturday formed a panel of six potential candidates to be selected for the by-election in the Salt assembly constituency on April 17 for the party’s central board. However, the panel excluded newly-appointed Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat. 

After a meeting of the state BJP core group, the party's Uttarakhand chief Madan Kaushik said, "Based on a survey of a three-member committee, formed under the leadership of Cabinet Minister Yashpal Arya for the Salt bypoll, the party has prepared a panel of six names which will be sent to the central leadership on Sunday."

He said the party’s Central Parliamentary Board will decide on the name of one of these six candidates for the bypoll. He refused to disclose the names but said that Chief Minister Rawat was not included in the panel.

The seat had fallen vacant after BJP MLA Surendra Singh Jeena succumbed to COVID-19 last November. Koushik said CM Rawat and he himself were present during the filling of nomination papers by the candidates. He exuded confidence that BJP would win the bypoll by a large margin.

Uttarakhand CM apologises for ripped-jeans remark

Just days after taking charge as Uttarakhand Chief Minister, BJP leader Tirath Singh Rawat sparked a controversy with his comments on women wearing ripped jeans on Tuesday. The newly sworn-in Uttarakhand CM opined that women and girls wearing ripped jeans do not provide the 'right environment' at home for children. His comments on women's choice of clothing triggered a protest from opposition parties and various celebrities, who hit out at the Uttarakhand CM and demanded his apology. After facing backlash over his comment, Rawat tendered an apology but reiterated his objection to ripped jeans, saying wearing "torn" ones are "not right".