The power of one: BJP left wooing UKD, Independents

In Dehradun, the party intensified its efforts to win over Independents and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal to form a government even as the Congress said the verdict was not in favour of the saffron party and it would try to cobble up a majority to continue in power.

Falling one seat short of a clear majority, the BJP hopes to form a government with the support of three Independents and three UKD members.

Gopinath Munde and OP Mathur will be present at Thursday’s meeting in Dehradun as Central observers besides party in-charge of the state Ravi Shankar Parsad.

Koshiyari, who reached New Delhi in the afternoon and went straight for the meeting, is reported to have been offered the deputy CM’s position as part of the BJP’s efforts to try a Brahmin-Rajput leadership in the state.

BJP sources said Koshiyari was being brought around to accept Khanduri as CM and get his supporters to do likewise, but the party is taking no chances. Given Koshiyari’s RSS backing, the Sangh will talk to the leader.

When asked, Khanduri was guarded on the issue of factionalism and its likely effect on the future of the BJP government in the state. “This cannot be done on my authority alone, people will have to sit down together. We have senior leaders to guide us and we’ll fall back on their advice,” he told The Indian Express.

The party leadership’s vote for Khanduri stems from his proven record as an administrator, even though he may be short on political experience. Besides, the party leadership is aware that there is a lack of talent in the state party unit, which could be a drawback when the BJP attempts to prove that its government is significantly more efficient than the previous Congress government.

In another development today, Uttarakhand Governor Sudarshan Agarwal asked outgoing Chief Minister ND Tiwari to continue in the post till the next government is formed. Tiwari, who had sent his resignation last night, met the Governor today. The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes.