Major General (retd) BC Khanduri replaced Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand

Major General (retd) BC Khanduri was appointed the sixth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He replaced Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank who resigned on 11 September 2011. Nishank  was asked to resign by the Bharatiya Janata Party as it was alarmed by the state government’s sagging image due to several allegations of corruption. The decision was taken keeping in view the forthcoming elections in the state in 2012.

Khanduri returned as CM two years after he stepped down following the 2009 general elections, when the BJP lost all five Lok Sabha seats in the state. After his supporters refused to back rival Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Nishank was made a consensus CM in 2009.

Khanduri was first elected in early 2007. He was made the chief minister after the polls but had to step down in June 2009 when Bhagat Singh Koshiyari rebelled against him and claimed to have the support of a majority of party MLAs.

Khanduri, a former army officer, has the image of a honest and no-nonsense leader who commands a lot of respect among retired defence personnel in Uttarakhand.

Nityanand Swami of the Bharatiya janata Party was the first Chiief Minister of Uttarakhand. Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank have also served as Chief Ministers of the state.