BJP announces 59 candidates, axes ticket of 10 sitting MLAs
Ruling party makes no changes in seats of the chief minister, other ministers and party state president
DEHRADUN: A day after the meeting of central election committee, the ruling BJP on Thursday announced their first list of candidates on 59 out of the total 70 assembly seats at the party national headquarters in Delhi.
Signalling a change, the party has dropped 10 sitting MLAs. It, however, made no changes in the seats of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and other ministers and party state unit president.
The list includes names of CM PS Dhami from Khatima constituency, party state president Madan Kaushik from Haridwar, cabinet ministers - Dhan Singh Rawat from Srinagar, Subodh Uniyal from Narendra Nagar, Ganesh Joshi from Mussoorie, Swami Yatishwaranand from Haridwar (rural), Satpal Maharaj from Chaubattkhal, Bishan Singh Chuphal from Didihat, Rekha Arya from Someshwar, Banshidhar Bhagat from Kaladhungi and Arvind Pandey from Gadarpur.
The other major names include sitting MLA Umesh Sharma Kau from Raipur constituency and assembly speaker Premchand Aggarwal from Rishikesh constituency.
The sitting MLAs who were denied ticket by the party for the upcoming state assembly elections include Rajkumar from Purola in Uttarkashi district who has been replaced by Durgeshwar Lal who was given ticket only hours after joining the party. Rajkumar had joined the BJP from the Congress last year.
Similarly, Kunwar Pranav
Singh from Haridwar’s Khanpur constituency has been replaced by his wife Kunwarani Devyani Singh. Champion has been in controversy on several occasions during the tenure in the BJP government for which he was once expelled from the party leader.
The daughter of former CM Maj Gen BC Khanduri (retd), Ritu Khanduri, was replaced by Renu Bisht from Yamkeshwar constituency in Pauri Garhwal district.
Sitting MLA Mahesh Singh Negi from Almora’s Dwarahat constituency was replaced by Anil Shahi. Negi was in news for all the wrong reasons after he was accused of rape by a woman who also alleged that he is the “biological father” of her daughter who was born out of rape. The case is sub-judice in a Dehradun court.
Among the other major names, deputy speaker in the state assembly and MLA from Almora constituency, Raghunath Singh Chauhan was replaced by Kailash Sharma.
In the other changes, sitting MLA from Tharali constituency in Chamoli district Munni Devi was replaced by Bhopal Ram Tamta, Surendra Singh Negi was replaced by Anil Nautiyal in Karnprayag constituency of Chamoli district, Mukesh Singh Koli was replaced by Raj Kumar Pori in Pauri constituency of Pauri Garhwal district, Meena Gangola was replaced by Fakir Ram Tamta in Gangolihat constituency in Pithoragarh district and Balwant Singh Bhauryal was replaced by Suresh Garia in Kapkote constituency of Bageshwar district.
In two seats where by-elections were held after the death of the sitting MLAs, the party has given tickets to their leaders who had won them. The two seats include Chandra Pant who won the Pithoragarh by polls, after the death of her husband and sitting MLA Prakash Pant who was also the cabinet minister in former CM Trivendra Singh
Rawat’s government.
Similarly, deceased ex-MLA Surendra Singh Jeena’s elder brother Mahesh Jeena was given the ticket from Salt constituency in Almora district where he had won the by polls last year.
In Dehradun, deceased senior MLA from Dehradun Cantonment Harbans Kapoor’s wife Savita was given the ticket from the same seat. Kapoor had died of a heart attack last year.
The party is yet to announce list of candidates on remaining 11 seats including Kedarnath constituency in Rudraprayag district, Tehri constituency in Tehri Garhwal district, Doiwala constituency in Dehradun district from where sitting MLA and former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat wrote to party national president on Wednesday expressing his unwillingness to contest the elections, Kotdwar constituency in Pauri Garhwal district from where sitting MLA and former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat was expelled from the party few days ago, Ranikhet and Jogeshwar constituencies in Almora district while Rudrapur constituency in US Nagar district.
One of the sitting MLAs and deputy speaker of state legislative assembly Raghunath Singh Chauhan who was denied ticket this time by the party leadership while speaking on the development said he “respects party’s decision.”
“I had been a member dedicated for the party and will always remain one in the future also. Ticket distribution is the decision taken completely by the party senior leadership and I respect that. Will continue to work for the party to ensure it returns to power in 2022,” said Chauhan.
On the dropping of 10 sitting MLAs by the ruling party, political analysts say it was a “well thought” move by the BJP leadership.
“The move shows that the party is not taking the upcoming polls lightly and is not hesitant to take tough steps to ensure victory for the party,” said political analyst MM Semwal. “It is yet to announce candidates on remaining 11 seats on which similar changes might be witnessed. It just shows that the BJP values the organisation more than leaders.”
Earlier addressing the media in Delhi, Union minister and party state poll in charge Joshi said the first list has five women candidates. “It has been done on the lines of women empowerment. The first list was announced after taking approval in the party’s central election committee held in Delhi on Wednesday. The party will announce the list of remaining 11 candidates soon,” said Joshi.
“The party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again return to power with a thumping majority in 2022.”