Dainik Nation News Portal
Dainik nation Bureau
Sitting BJP MLAs are under stress because their seats are being seen as safe for the rehablitation of senior leaders or their wards in this election. As is known, Garhwal MP and Ex CM & Garhwal MP Maj Gen BC Khanduri (Retd) is seeking party ticket for his daughter Ritu Bhushan Khanduri from Yamkeshwar assembly constituency.
Khanduri has great affection from the Pauri district which is why when he became chief minister of Uttarakhand after 2007 assembly election- then he opted for Dhumakot constituency of Pauri district to contest bypoll. Similarly during assembly election-2012 he contested election from Pauri district’s Kotdwar constituency. Now he has been backing for his daughter and seeking Yamkeshwar seat for her. It will be recalled that sitting MLA Vijaya Barthwal has been representing the seat for the last three terms and is the lone woman sitting MLA of BJP. Talking to media persons she refused to make any comment on the situation now but said that though she does not know what would happen, she is confident that she would get the party ticket.
Similarly Lansdowne sitting MLA Daleep Singh Rawat has been receiving severe fight from recently-joined BJP leader Harak Singh Rawat. It is known that Harak had deserted Congress because chief minister Harish Rawat had refused to allow him to change his Vidhan Sabha constituency from Rudraprayag to Dehradun district. He has presented three options — Lansdowne, Doiwala and Sahaspur before party high command. Sources said that BJP wants to get over Khanduri’s defeat from Kotdwar and is hence asking Harak to contest from Kotdwar. Since then news has also been circulated about sitting MLA and state health minister Surendra Singh Negi, who had defeated the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate from Kotdwar in assembly election-2012, had been focusing on Yamkeshwar assembly constituency. It is also known that during the previous assembly election Khanduri had contested election from Kotdwar by cutting ticket of the then sitting MLA Shailendra Singh Rawat and its outcome is known to all. This time if BJP again denies ex MLA Shailendra Singh Rawat ticket and gives ticket to Harak Singh Rawat then SS Rawat may go into Congress because chief minister Harish Rawat is watching developments in the BJP regarding the seat.
Similarly in Choubattakhal sitting MLA and ex BJP state president Teerath Singh Rawat may be denied a ticket by party high command because ex MP Satpal Maharaj is considering the seat safe for him. As we know that ex MLA Amrita Rawat, who was dethroned by from cabinet by CM Rawat after general election-2014 because her husband Satpal Maharj had joined BJP after deserting congress, was running upset with this and she joined the bandwagon of turncoat Congress MLAs who deserted Harish Rawat-led state government while opposition was seeking division of vote on appropriation bill-2016 on March 18, 2016. She is one of the contenders for a seat from BJP but her husband Maharaj is eyeing assembly seat so he wants safer seat with his search ending at Choubattakhal. Due to delimitation-2008 Amrita Rawat says that major portion of her previous assembly seat merged with Choubattakhal. Political analyst said that as Teerath Singh Rawat has led the party which means he is having support of ex-chief ministers. It is also known to everyone that these three ex-CMs –. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Khanduri and Ramesh Pokhriyal NIshank, are not happy with new entrant so they may not agree on this. Although final decision is to be taken by the party high command so they are in dilemma on the seat because Maharaj is being projected as Garhwali Thakur leader and being given prominence in BJP billboards. Although result is hidden in future but anticipation is strong that on these three seats sitting MLAs are under threat due to senior leaders seeking their ticket to ensure their entry into Vidhan Sabha.
