By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 28 Jan: BJP insiders today claimed that the BJP leadership had decided to make its National Vice President of the Women’s Wing, Deepti Rawat, the party candidate from Doiwala, though it had refrained from announcing the same due to fear of backlash from within the party.
However, the party’s local unit came to know of the party’s decision and it approached the outgoing MLA Trivendra Singh Rawat to register its protest against imposing “outsider” Deepti Rawat.
Even as the BJP leadership was preparing to hand over the party symbol to Deepti Rawat as its official candidate from Doiwala, there was a strong backlash within the party, particularly in the local unit. Meanwhile, some active party leaders like Jeetendra Negi had already declared their intention to contest as independent candidates and the party was not in a position to face even greater rebellion. As the official announcement had not been on Deepti Rawat, the party, late last night, chose local BJP leader Brij Bhushan Gairola as the party candidate from Doiwala. Gairola is considered to be a close confidante of outgoing MLA and former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, who according to the party insiders played a key role in grant of ticket to him.
Consequently, the party this morning released its last list of 2 candidates for the Uttarakhand assembly elections whereby Gairola was declared the candidate from Doiwala and Kishore Upadhyay from Tehri. Insiders claimed that Upadhyay had been in fact handed over the party symbol, yesterday, and he had left for Tehri so that he could file his nomination today, it being the last day of nominations in the state for the assembly polls.
