Payback time for Khanduri in Lok Sabha bypoll

Both the ruling BJP and Congress in Uttarakhand have started campaigning for Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha bypoll.

Both the ruling BJP and Congress in Uttarakhand have started campaigning for Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha bypoll. The seat fell vacant after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj Gen B C Khanduri (retd) resigned following his election to the Assembly from the Dhumakot constituency in September this year.

Though the Election Commission is yet to announce the date of the bypoll, Khanduri and Lt Gen Tej Pal Singh Rawat (retd), who is the likely BJP candidate for the seat, are already doing the rounds of the constituency spread over Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli and Dehradun districts.

Lt Gen Rawat (retd), a former Congress minister, vacated his Dhumakot Assembly seat for the Chief Minister and resigned from the Congress to join the BJP. In a reciprocal gesture, Khanduri is working hard to ensure Rawat’s win.

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The two former Army generals belong to the two dominant castes of Uttarakhand hills. Khanduri is a Brahmin, while Rawat is a Thakur — the two proved to be a winning combination in Dhumakot. The fairly large population of servicemen and ex-servicemen in the hills has also given them political leverage.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress is trying to put their act together to face the BJP. The newly-elected state Congress president Yashpal Arya did a tour of Pauri Garhwal district with the local Congress leaders. He was also accompanied by former Union Minister Satpal Maharaj. Satpal Maharaj, a godman-turned-politician and the traditional political rival of Khanduri in Pauri Garhwal, would in all probability be the Congress candidate. He defeated Khanduri in the 1996 Lok Sabha election, while suffered defeats in 1991, 1998, 1999 and 2004.

Interestingly, Satpal Maharaj is also the political guru of Lt Gen Rawat (retd) and was instrumental in bringing him into the Congress fold in 2002. Dehradun Mayor Manorama Sharma Dobriyal is also a likely contender. Originally from Pauri Garhwal, Sharma too has been touring the area with an aim to consolidate her claim on the party ticket. “We are holding meetings and trying to highlight the ineptness of the Khanduri Government,” said Arya on their election agenda.

The bypoll will be crucial for both the ruling BJP and for the Congress. While, Khanduri would like to continue his winning streak to show his popularity and a complete control of the state party unit. For the Congress, a win would help boost its morale before the 2009 general elections.