After 2016 Uttarakhand again witnessed rat race of defections in both the national parties when polling is just 18 days ahead

As the date of election, 14 February is nearing with hardly 18 days left and physical campaigning restricted by the election commission till 31st January , both the national political parties of Uttarakhand Congress and BJP are witnessing defection syndrome with MLAs and ticket aspirants from both the parties changing sides proving to be perfect opportunists throwing to winds political ideologies and commitment to values and ethics.

Never before, has Uttarakhand witnessed such an open shameful sport of defections in broad day light of the so called vision less politicians of both the national parties not at all caring for the image degradation in the eyes of the electorates, shamelessly bagging tickets as gift of sheer opportunism not worried at all of the possible implications at the hustings.

While the Bhartiya Janata Party which took into its fold ten Congress MLAs in 2016, making many of them ministers in their government, two cabinet ministers viz Yashpal Arya and Dr. Harak Singh Rawat had again defected to their parent party along with Arya’s lawmaker son bagging Congress tickets from Bajpur and Nainital reserve seats, Dr Rawat was successful in getting Congress ticket for his daughter in Law Anukriti Gusain Rawat, a former model and miss beauty queen Delhi etc from Lansdowne, snatching the right of the hard core workers in the race for ticket.

The Mahila Congress chief of Uttarakhand Sarita Arya bagged the BJP ticket in a single day after she joined BJP from Nainital Reserve seat after she was denied ticket by Congress leaders to oblige the sitting BJP lawmaker joining Congress from Nainital reserve seat.

As if this was not enough the former BJP lawmaker from Narendra Nagar assembly constituency Om Gopal Rawat, who was denied BJP ticket shifted his loyalty to Congress and was allotted ticket in a day against BJP’s two term MLA n minister Subodh Uniyal, killing the chances of hard core Congress workers from this constituency.

The former Congress chief of Uttarakhand and two term MLA from Tehri in 2002 and 2007, Kishore Upadhyay who had complained of a step motherly treatment in the party despite his long association with Congress since 1980 having worked with former PM n the then general secretary AICC in 1983 Rajiv Gandhi, accusing Harish Rawat of betraying him on several occasions has today joined BJP with a heavy heart after he was first expelled from the party for six years removing from all posts and then cutting his ticket.

The BJP gave Kishore the ticket from Tehri after his admission in a day, on Thursday. This infuriated the sitting BJP lawmaker from Tehri Dr. Dhan Sungh Negi, compelling him to join Congress in a hurry with Harish Rawat and other leaders welcoming him with open arms and alloting the Congress ticket immediately.

Sounds interesting and disgusting as well and hypocritical too.

Kishore Upadhyay was first removed of all positions charging him for anti party activities hobnobbing with BJP leaders despite his denial saying that he had met them to canvass support for the issues of Forest Rights Movement.

However, he was later in expelled and denied ticket compelling him to join BJP.

The point here is if he was really an anti party activist by hobnobbing with BJP and SP as accused for, then how come the party leadership has accepted the BJP sitting lawmaker of Tehri and accorded him the Congress ticket immediately which could have been allotted to Kishore Upadhyay restricting him to join BJP ? Is this act not an anti party activity against defection, for which former PM Rajiv Gandhi brought law in parliament.

Sounds completely ridiculous, ironical, hypocritical and irrational, indeed.

Accepting the defectors from Congress to BJP in 2016 after destabilising its government, and then back in Congress obliging them with party tickets is not a crime but those in Congress for the last forty years are anti party activists? This is what is going on in both the parties of Uttarakhand.

And above it, there is an established rule in Congress saying that one ticket for one family is mandatory but what about Yashpal Arya and Harish Rawat whose son and daughter got tickets from Nainital ( reserve) and Haridwar ( Rural) seats apart from their fathers getting Congress tickets from Bajpur and Lalkuan? Is this not against the establish party norms question the genuine party workers denied tickets to oblige those with top connections.

Apart from these defections the two time Rudrapur lawmaker of BJP was denied ticket obliging a district president Shiv Arora, leading to Thukral contesting from this seat independently posing direct threat to the BJP.

According to a senior IPS officer now retired K. S. Jangpangi, while expressing his serious concern over these defections in Uttarakhand wrote : Politics has turned topsy turvy in UK. Never before we have seen such crossing over of leaders from Congress to BJP and vice versa on the eve of elections.

This is very sad and ominous development for politics in UK. This is because of various factors. One; ideology has ceased to be the main plank of political affiliations and commitment. Secondly; every one in all political parties are aiming at their personal Aggrandizement rather than political ideology and principles to govern their personal political behavior. Thirdly; the decline of political leadership to hold their flock together in the face of emerging challenges from grass root political workers. Fourthly; absence of internal democracy in political parties. Fifthly; opaque system of candidate selection by high command. Sixthly; grass root committed workers being sacrificed / sidelined for outsiders and family members and finally the political system has become the vehicle for personal advancement rather than vehicle for public good and welfare. One can see all these Tendencies at it’s zenith in Uttarakhand. It sad but true.

What’s your take friends?