Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday expressed his unwillingness to contest the Assembly polls and has written a letter to BJP national president J P Nadda in this regard.
In the letter to Nadda, Rawat said: "Leadership has changed in the state and the party got a youth leader Pushkar Singh Dhami. In the changed political scenario, I should not contest the 2022 Assembly polls."
He said that he had earlier also conveyed his intent not to fight the 2022 polls.
"As per responsibilities extended to me by the national secretary and party in the past, I have done election related work in Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh," the letter read.
"I want to work wholetime so that the BJP government is formed under Dhami's leadership. Therefore, I request you to accept my request of not contesting so that I can do my best for the formation of the BJP government in the state again," it added.
In 2017, Trivendra Singh Rawat became chief minister after winning from Doiwala constituency. In March 2021, the BJP high command removed him from the chief minister's post and made Tirath Singh Rawat the Chief Minister of the hill state. Sensing that Tirath Singh Rawat may not get elected as MLA within six months, the saffron party handed over the reins of the state government to Dhami.
The state is slated to go to the polls on February 14.