Round-up 2021: Meet CMs who superseded former ones; CMs who returned to power with thumping victory in 2021
While some were replaced in the last 12 months, a few retained their positions, and some returned the power in 2021.
FollowIndian politics had a tumultuous year 2021 as a new trend set in where the national parties replaced their underperforming Chief Ministers with new ones. While some were replaced in the last 12 months, a few retained their positions, and some returned the power in 2021.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are known to back the Chief Ministers appointed by them staunchly even in the face of resentment by respective Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State units, pressure from the public opinion, and even from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Tirath Singh Rawat succeeds Trivendra Singh Rawat in Uttarakhand
Lok Sabha MP Tirath Singh replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand in March. Trivendra Singh Rawat’s government rang the death knell after MLAs and party workers found him unresponsive to their concerns and unwilling to address them.
Himanta Biswa Sarma replaces Sarbananda Sonowal in Assam
Sarbananda Sonowal was replaced by Himanta Biswa Sarma as the new Chief Minister of Assam after the saffron party was re-elected in May.
Pushkar Singh Dhami steps into shoes of Tirath Singh Rawat in Uttarakhand
Tirath Singh Rawat was replaced by Pushkar Singh Dhami in a matter of four months after taking charge. One of the reasons why Rawat stepped down was his inability to get elected to the Assembly within six months after taking the oath.
Also read: Want to know how parliamentarians behave in Lok Sabha? You can watch live via mobile app
BS Yeddiyurappa makes way for Basavaraj Bommai in Karnataka
Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa made way for first timer Basavaraj Bommai as Chief Minister of Karnataka in July. BSY had passed the party’s unwritten rule of retirement at 75, the party decided to replace him with Bommai.
Vijay Rupani takes charge in Gujarat replacing Bhupendrabhai Patel
Bhupendrabhai Patel resigned 14 months before the Gujarat Assembly election and Vijay Rupani replaced him as the new Chief Minister in September.
Amarinder Singh steps down for Charanjit Singh Channi in Punjab
Amarinder Singh was shown the door by Congress following his fallout with state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Charanjit Singh Channi replaced him as the new Chief Minister of Punjab. While the change-in-guard in the BJP was largely smooth, it was not the same in the case of Congress.
Meanwhile these changes apart, MK Stalin from the DMK became Tamil Nadu Chief Minister after defeating the AIADMK in the Assembly elections. Similarly, Mamata Banerjee returned to power for the third time as TMC registered a thumping victory in West Bengal elections. Kerala’s political tradition in which the state switches between LDF and UDF made a departure as the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front retained power. Whereas the founder leader of All India NR Congress, N Rangaswamy sworn in as the Chief Minister of Puducherry for the fourth time. His party won 10 seats and the BJP bagged six seats in the 30-member legislative Assembly.
