Revolt in Uttarakhand BJP as party rewards all Congress rebels with tickets

DEHRADUN: Resentment is brewing in the state unit of the BJP after the party announced its first list of candidates which accommodates almost all rebel leaders from the Congress in the seat distribution. A section of party leaders who have been denied tickets to make room for Congress turncoats are sulking and some are likely to jump into the fray as Independent candidates.
The BJP announced its first list of 64 candidates for the 70-seat assembly polls on Monday. The day also saw revenue and irrigation minister Yashpal Arya defect to the BJP along with son Sanjeev and former Yamunotri MLA Kedar Singh Rawat. The names of all three made it to the BJP’s list of candidates released a few hours later.
While former Congress MLAs who revolted against the Harish Rawat-led government in March 2016 when the appropriation bill was being passed in the assembly were rewarded by the saffron party with tickets, BJP ticket seekers said that their loyalty had amounted to nothing.
At Narendra Nagar constituency, which has witnessed nail-biting contests with a small number of votes being the difference between the winner and the runner-up, BJP has fielded Congress turncoat Subodh Uniyal. The move has left BJP leader Om Gopal Rawat, who has twice locked horns with Uniyal, fuming.
“I was ignored by the party and I have decided to contest as an Independent from my seat,” said Rawat.
While Uniyal lost to Rawat in 2007 assembly elections, the former took sweet revenge on the latter by defeating him by a thin margin of 401 votes in 2012 polls. Political insiders said that Rawat is seen as a strong contender from the constituency and may ride to victory on a sympathy wave.
There is disaffection among BJP ranks in all constituencies where former Congress rebels have been fielded. Former legislator Asha Nautiyal who was seeking a ticket from Kedarnath is peeved with former Congress rebel Shaila Rani Rawat being fielded from the seat. Similarly, former MLA Shailendra Singh Rawat is brooding over Harak Singh Rawat being fielded from Kotdwar. In Roorkee, former MLA Suresh Chand Jain’s hopes a party ticket were dashed after Pradip Batra was declared the party's official nominee.
If the Congress turncoats led to the ouster of some BJP ticket seekers, a few sitting MLAs were ignored by the saffron party to accommodate party leaders.
Tirath Singh Rawat, BJP MLA from Chaubattakhal and former state BJP president, who was denied ticket to make room for former Congress rebel Amrita Rawat's husband Satpal Maharaj said that “in its pursuit of power, the party has forgotten the old principles it stood for”. Tirath Singh added that the new inductees who had shifted their loyalties were unlikely to win. “It would be childish to assume that the voters don’t understand what is going on and I think this move will not give the party desired results,” he said.
Another sitting MLA, Vijaya Barthwal, BJP legislator from Yamkeshwar, was not given a ticket to make room for former CM and Pauri MP BC Khanduri's daughter Ritu Khanduri.
Talking to TOI, Barthwal said, “I feel cheated because first I was told that all sitting MLAs would get tickets. I was denied a ticket to accommodate a senior leader’s daughter. The party’s decision has disheartened me.”
The BJP, however, said that it was facing no challenge in keeping its flock together. BJP media in charge Davendra Bhasin said, “The leaders denied tickets are part of the BJP family and would remain in the partyfold. Those planning to take extreme measures would be pacified by the party leaders in due course of time during the campaign.”