BJP short by a seat

Surprisingly, the Uttarkhand Kranti Dal, the regional outfit that spearheaded the Uttarakhand statehood movement, was been further marginalised with just three seats. They had four seats in the last House. In Narendra Nagar, where recounting was ordered, its candidate Om Gopal was ahead of Congress’ Subodh Uniyal.

But the BJP is now caught in a bind on who to choose as Chief Minister. Caught in two minds after the competing claims of former Union minister Maj Gen B.C. Khanduri (retd) and state BJP chief and former chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari for the top post, the party high command has decided to send party observers to meet the legislators and ascertain their view.

Senior BJP leaders Gopinath Munde and Om Mathur would be visiting Dehradun on March 1 to ascertain the views of the newly elected legislators. “They will be coming to meet the legislators,” Uttarakhand BJP spokesperson Ajayendra Ajay said.

Although the BJP had not projected anyone as chief ministerial candidate, the party had given enough hints that Khanduri would be the choice of the BJP brass if the party comes to power. Khanduri was also made incharge of the Election Campaign Committee. Even former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, during his election rally at Srinagar in Garhwal, had hinted at giving Khanduri an important role.

However, it was the stubborn resistance by state BJP chief and former CM Koshiyari that has forced the BJP high command to choose a more democratic way of choosing the chief minister. Koshiyari, being a ‘parcharak’, has the backing of RSS and is an elected legislator unlike Khanduri who is an MP from Pauri Garhwal.

Meanwhile, Congress rebels dealt a severe blow on the ruling party with three of them-Rajinder Bhandari from Nandprayag, Yashpal Benam from Pauri and Gagan Singh Rajwar-making it to the Assembly by defeating official party candidates. Many of the party rebels were fighting as candidates of the NCP which failed to open its account this time. In the last Assembly, NCP had won a lone seat but the candidate later joined the Congress.