Uttarakhand Mahila Congress chief Sarita Arya and former Congress chief Kishore may join BJP ? Dr. Harak Singh missing from the core committee meeting
While the cumbersome process of tickets’ finalisation in both the major political parties of Uttarakhand is in the final stage with several sitting candidates apprehensive of losing their seats, especially in BJP, there are atleast two leaders of Congress party allegedly desperate to join the saffron party and a cabinet minister conspicuous by his absense in the significant core committee meeting of the BJP held in Dehradun on Saturday.
This high level meeting allegedly deliberately missed by the infuriated minister Dr. Harak Singh Rawat has again raised certain speculations about his joining the parent party Congress. However, there are no confirmed news.
Kindly recall that Dr. Rawat is, reported to be badly annoyed with the BJP leadership for not giving him the seat of his choice in Kedarnath ( for himself) and in Lansdowne, ( for his daughter in law) where sitting MLA Dilip Singh Rawat and applicants at Badrinath assembly are fully ready to oppose him tooth and nail.
Dr. Rawat is also allegedly interested for a ticket for his daughter in law, former beauty queen Miss Femina Anukriti Gusain from Lansdowne, from where Mahant Dalip Singh of Sidhbali Temple is sitting MLA, ready to confront him tooth and nail.
There are indication that influential minister Dr. Rawat is creating pressure on state CM and BJP leadership to submit to his pressures, guaranteeing ticket to his daughter in law and himself from Lansdowne and Kedarnath, allegedly interested to shift from Kotdwar say sources as the Congress candidate,fotmer MLA and cabinet minister Surendra Singh Negi carrying a best reputation has better chances of winning, having lost to Dr. Rawat, last time.
Meanwhile, two Congress leaders viz Uttarakhand Mahila Congress chief Sarita Arya and two term MLA from Tehri Garhwal and former Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay are allegedly likely to join the saffron party feeling being deprived of the party ticket and insulted by the Uttarakhand Congress incharge Devendra Yadav, removing him from all Congress posts for hobnobbing with the BJP leaders n SP to weaken the Congress party. There are reports that the decision on rebel Congress leader Kishore Upadhyay’s, seat from Tehri has been kept on hold to be decided by party high command.
The Uttarakhand Mahila Congress chief Sarita Arya had contested the election from Nainital reserve seat last time in 2017 on Congress ticket and lost to Sanjeev Arya of BJP who was earlier in Congress but defected to BJP in 2017 with his father. He is the son of Yashpal Arya, MLA and former cabinet minister in BJP government. Now, since both father and son duo have joined Congress, Sanjeev Arya’s ticket from Nainital is almost final, by the Congress being a sitting lawmaker as well.
This has infuriated Mahila Congress chief Sarita Arya who had already given an ultimatum to join BJP earlier in case she is not given the ticket from Nainital reserve seat, held by Sanjeev Arya, sitting BJP MLA, now in Congress. She had contested against Arya in 2017 on Congress ticket having lost.
There are confirmed reports that Sarita Arya has met the national BJP leader Prahalad Joshi, observer n incharge, Uttarakhand and former CM and Union minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank at Dehradun yesterday obviously meaning that she is likely to join the BJP.
Confirmed sources say that the BJP has assured her the ticket from Nainital reserve seat in case she joins the saffron party.
Similarly, the badly humiliated Congress party’s former Uttarakhand chief Kishore Upadhyay had also met the senior BJP leader Prahalad Joshi and state chief observer Mr. Ajay after being served the letter of removal from all Congress posts for the second time, accusing him of anti party activities and hobnobbing with the key BJP leaders and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav clandestinely. Kishore had also met BJP’s RS MP n national media Incharge Anil Baluni, play a key role in bringing Congress lawmakers in BJP.
According to news analysts keeping in view the meetings of both these Congress leaders viz Uttarakhand Congress president Sarita Arya and Kishore Upadhyay with the BJP leaders n Uttarakhand incharge n observers Prahalad Joshi and Mr. Ajay it is, including Anil Baluni earlier, it’s almost certain that both the leaders may join BJP shortly, creating quite an uproar in Congress party.
It may be recalled that Kishore Upadhyay and veteran Congress leader and chairman of the Uttarakhand election campaign committee Harish Rawat are not in good terms for the last several months with both of them accusing each other of various charges.
Meanwhile, after the conspicuous absense of the cabinet minister Dr. Harak Singh Rawat from the core committee meeting of BJP it is being speculated that the annoyed minister may also be searching a new option, possibly joining Congress, though such rumours have occured number of times earlier as well, denied by Dr. Rawat.
Today’s top BJP core committee meeting was attended by several senior leaders viz. State CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, former union education minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, state BJP observer Prahalad Joshi, former CMs Tirath Singh Rawat, Vijay Bahuguna, chief observer Dushyant Gautam, state president Madan Kaushik, co observer Rekha Verma, general secretary Rajendra Singh Bhandari and others.
Her supporters are questioning the credibility of the Congress leadership asking on the one hand while the national party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi couns the slogan ” MAI LADKI HOON – LAD SAKTI HOON, announcing 40% tickets to women in Uttar Pradesh, followed by the national general secretary of Mahila Congress Anupama Rawat demanding 40% seats for women candidates in Ukhand who is Harish Rawst’s daughter – the ticket of a sitting defeated Mahila Congress ticket from Nainital seat is at stake. Sounds hypocritical.
