CM Dhami greeted warmly en route to Gairsain session
Synopsis
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami received warm public receptions across Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts while travelling to Bharaḍīsaiṇ (Gairsain) for the Vidhan Sabha session on 26 October 2026, expressing heartfelt gratitude on X.
Key Takeaways
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami was travelling to Gairsain (Bharaḍīsaiṇ) to attend a Vidhan Sabha session on 26 October 2026 .
He received grand and affectionate public receptions at multiple locations in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts en route.
Both elected local representatives and ordinary citizens participated in the welcome gatherings.
Gairsain has served as the site of select Uttarakhand assembly sessions since the mid-2010s, fulfilling a long-standing demand for a hill capital.
The route through Rudraprayag and Chamoli passes through key pilgrimage and high-altitude districts central to Uttarakhand's identity.
A convoy through the high Himalayas turned into a show of public warmth. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was met with enthusiastic receptions at multiple stops across Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts on Monday, 26 October 2026, as he travelled toward Bharaḍīsaiṇ (Gairsain) to attend the ongoing Vidhan Sabha session.
Posting on X, the Chief Minister expressed being moved by the outpouring of affection, writing: 'Aap sabke apaar sneh evam aatmiyata ke liye hriday se aabhar' — 'From the heart, my gratitude for your boundless love and warmth.' The welcome, he noted, was extended by both elected representatives and ordinary citizens at various points along the route.
Why Gairsain matters — a hill capital in the making
Gairsain, located in Chamoli district at an altitude well above the Gangetic plains, has been a politically and emotionally charged location since Uttarakhand's formation as a separate state in 2000. Activists and hill communities fought for decades for a capital that would reflect the state's mountain identity rather than the plains-adjacent Dehradun. Since the mid-2010s, successive governments have held select Vidhan Sabha sessions here, a gesture that carries significant symbolic weight for residents of the upper Himalayas. For communities in Rudraprayag and Chamoli — districts that bear the full weight of the terrain, the seasonal isolation, and the slow pace of infrastructure development — the sight of the Chief Minister passing through is not routine. It is a reminder that the hill belt remains politically visible.Rudraprayag and Chamoli: the road the CM travelled
The route from Dehradun to Gairsain threads through some of Uttarakhand's most storied and difficult landscape. Rudraprayag, the confluence district of the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers, lies on the pilgrim corridor to Kedarnath. Chamoli, further up, is the district that holds Badrinath, Auli, and the Valley of Flowers. Both districts have seen their share of disaster, migration, and development promises over the years. A Chief Ministerial passage that draws crowds at 'various locations,' as Dhami described, signals a political pulse that party strategists and opponents alike will note. The scheduling of Vidhan Sabha sittings at Gairsain — and the infrastructure that may or may not follow — remains one of the more watched threads in Uttarakhand's governance story. Each session held there is, in part, an answer to the question hill communities have asked since statehood: does the government come to us, or do we always travel to it?Point of View
One that generates goodwill without requiring the fiscal and logistical commitment of a full capital transfer. For Dhami, being seen as 'of the hills' — not just governing them from Dehradun — is central to his electoral identity in a state where migration and neglect remain live grievances. Each Gairsain session is, in effect, a governance statement as much as a legislative event.
NationPress
26 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha held in Gairsain?
Gairsain in Chamoli district has been promoted as a symbolic hill capital of Uttarakhand to fulfil demands by hill communities for a capital that reflects the state's mountain identity. Since the mid-2010s, select assembly sessions have been held there.
Where is Gairsain located in Uttarakhand?
Gairsain, also called Bharaḍīsaiṇ, is a town in Chamoli district in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, situated at a high altitude in the central Himalayas.
Which districts did CM Dhami pass through on his way to Gairsain?
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami passed through Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts while travelling from Dehradun to Bharaḍīsaiṇ (Gairsain) for the Vidhan Sabha session.
What did CM Pushkar Singh Dhami say about his welcome in the hill districts?
Dhami posted on X that he was deeply moved by the warm and grand receptions offered by local public representatives and residents at various places in Rudraprayag and Chamoli, and expressed heartfelt gratitude for their love and affection.
Is Gairsain the capital of Uttarakhand?
Gairsain holds the status of a summer capital of Uttarakhand by government declaration, though Dehradun continues to function as the primary administrative capital. Select Vidhan Sabha sessions are held at Gairsain periodically.
