Pauri Garhwal MP Tirath Singh Rawat was on Wednesday chosen as the leader of Uttarakhand BJP legislature party, paving the way for his becoming the new chief minister of the hill state.

His name was announced by outgoing chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat after the legislature party meeting, which lasted around 30 minutes.

Tirath Singh Rawat was the state BJP president from 2013-2015 and is currently the party"s national secretary.

He was also an MLA from Chaubattakhal constituency from 2012-17.

His choice by the BJP comes as a surprise as he was not among the favourites. PTI