By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
NEW DELHI, 28 Mar: In a significant development, several prominent political leaders including those from the ruling BJP on Saturday joined Congress party at an event held at Congress headquarters in Delhi.. These leaders joined the party in presence of senior Congress leader and the party leader in charge of the party affairs in Uttarakhand, Kumari Selja. This development is being seen to be significant in view of the upcoming State Assembly elections early next year. Among the six leaders who joined the Congress on Saturday include three former MLAs. However significantly, all the former BJP leaders who now joined the Congress have a background of switching parties or contesting as independent candidates and therefore the development can’t be considered to be a major setback for the BJP at present.
Saturday witnessed intense political activity in Uttarakhand as several prominent leaders from the party have described this development as a major boost for the Uttarakhand Congress, as six key leaders associated with important Assembly constituencies formally joined the Congress. These leaders represent six significant seats across both Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. Three of those who joined the party hail from Garhwal and the other three from Kumaon. This switching parties was was a s subject of political speculation for the past two days and some more names were also in circulation though they did not join the Congress so far. The development to some extent indicates that the Congress has also begun early groundwork for the upcoming elections by strengthening its presence at the constituency level nearly nine months ahead of the polls.
Among those who joined the Congress from the Garhwal division are former MLA Bhimlal Arya, who has been active in the Ghansali Assembly constituency of Uttarkashi district, former Municipal Council Chairman Anuj Gupta from the Mussoorie Assembly segment, and former Mayor Gaurav Goyal from the Roorkee constituency. Rajkumar Thukral is probably the biggest name among the BJP leaders to join the Congress on Saturday. He was elected on BJP ticket in 2017 from Rudrapur and has long been identified with grassroots politics in the region. Known for his strong local connect and organisational influence, Thukral has remained an active player in the political landscape of Kumaon.
Thukral was earlier associated with the BJP and held considerable prominence within the party in the Rudrapur area. However, he faced political setbacks when he was denied a party ticket in Assembly elections, following which he had also contested as an Independent candidate, reflecting his personal support base in the constituency. Among other former BJP leaders who joined the Congress today are Bhimlal Arya from Ghansali and Lakhan Singh Negi from Bhimtal.
Bhimlal Arya is a prominent political figure in Uttarakhand who served as the MLA from Ghansali (SC) constituency in the Tehri Garhwal district. Arya’s political journey is marked by significant transitions between parties:2012 Assembly elections: He successfully contested from the Ghansali constituency on BJP ticket but in 2017 contested as Congress candidate and lost. He had been suspended from the BJP by the Assembly Speaker for cross-voting in favour of the Harish Rawat-led Congress government during a crucial floor test.2017 More recently, he contested the Ghansali seat as an Independent candidate in 2022 as an independent candidate, pulling over 9,000 votes but finishing third behind the BJP and Congress candidates.
From the Kumaon division, former Block Pramukh and BJP leader Lakhan Singh Negi from the Bhimtal Assembly constituency, former MLA and BSP leader Narayan Pal from Sitarganj also joined the Congress. It may be noted here that Negi was hoping to secure BJP ticket from Bhimtal but with the present MLA Ram Singh Kaira having been just appointed as cabinet minister had lost hope of getting BJP ticket and therefore chose to join the Congress party. Interestingly, the induction of these leaders into the Congress took place in New Delhi, reflecting a growing trend within the Uttarakhand Congress to organise key political events in the national capital. Earlier as well, the party had chosen Delhi as the venue for its press conference on the Ankita Bhandari case. The joining programme was conducted in the presence of Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal, State in-charge Kumari Selja, and several senior leaders of the party at the national level.
Political observers believe that the entry of these leaders could have some negative effect for the BJP and that some more leaders may join the Congress from BJP before the elections. However cascading effect, as their supporters and local networks may also shift allegiance to the Congress, the BJP is known for its counter-strategies and may respond with similar or larger political inductions in the coming days.
