 In the first Assembly elections in 2002, he was elected to Uttarakhand Assembly from Pithoragarh and then again in 2007.With the Khanduri government coming to power, he became a cabinet minister and was given the parliamentary affairs portfolio.In 2012 election, he faced his first defeat from Mayukh Singh Mahar of the Congress, but won in 2017 from Pithoragarh, though his win can largely be credited to the visit of Narendra Modi in the town which moved the masses in favor of the BJP.