By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
DEHRADUN, 24 Feb: With just weeks remaining for the possible announcement for the Parliamentary elections in the country, the BJP is already taking lead in appointing various committees in the run up to the elections. BJP has announced the State Election Management Committee for the Lok Sabha elections. In this committee formed under the chairmanship of State President Mahendra Bhatt, party officials have been given responsibility for 38 different tasks while Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal has been given the responsibility of Convenor of Election Management Committee which will also be in charge of all other committees. Former Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat has been appointed as the head of the manifesto committee and the responsibility of special contact campaign has been given to former CM Vijay Bahuguna and former state president Madan Kaushik .

State Media in charge of Uttarakhand BJP, Manveer Chauhan confirmed that all the committees have been formed with the consent of the state president. Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal will work as Convenor while Aditya Kothari, Khilendra Chaudhary, Rajendra Bisht will work as co[1]convenors of the election management committee. Sanjay Gupta and co-head Jaivardhan Kandpal have been nominated as judicial affairs in charge and election commission contact head, Rajendra Dhillon and co-head Kheema Sharma as head of publicity material and literature distribution, Vipin Kainthola and co-head Dilip Kandari, head of the advertising campaign department. Trivendra Singh Rawat and co-head Balwant Singh Bhauryal have been nominated to Election Manifesto Committee along with Deepti Rawat and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Kalpana Saini, while MLA Munna Singh Chauhan has been nominated as head of Allegations Committee along with co-head Neha Joshi. Special Contacts Committee will be headed by MLA Madan Kaushik, Co-Head Vijay Bahuguna, Dr. RK Jain, Pradeep Bisht, Election Office Head Kedar Joshi, Call Centre Head Vishal Gupta, Office Management Harish Dora, Guest Department Saurabh Thopaliyal. Media Committee is headed by Manveer Chauhan while others in this committee are Rajendra Singh Negi, Chandan Singh Bisht, Nidhi Sharma. Media Contact head will by Suresh Joshi.

Several questions have arisen with the announcement of various committees. The biggest question is whether the nominations of Trivendra Singh Rawat, Vijay Bahuguna, Madan Kaushik and Munna Singh Chauhan to the committees, rule them out of fray in the Parliamentary Elections. Trivendra Singh Rawat was hoping to be nominated to Rajya Sabha in case outgoing Anil Baluni is not repeated but instead Mahendra Bhatt was chosen. Now, Trivendra Singh Rawat has become a contender for party ticket on Pauri Lok Sabha seat along with the sitting MP Tirath Singh Rawat and several others along with outgoing RS MP Anil Baluni and Vijay Bahuguna. According to the party sources Bahuguna can also be ruled out now. Similarly, Munna Singh Chauhan remains a contender on Tehri LS Seat in spite of the fact that he is not known to lobby for any position or ticket. But with him also nominated as chairman of one of the committees, the question is whether he can also be ruled out. Sources claim that this time, one may see two to three changes in candidates from Uttarakhand including in Tehri.