Senior party leaders disappointed at being left out of Cabinet

By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 24 Mar: Senior BJP leaders, especially those who had been cabinet ministers in the past but could not make it into the cabinet this time are in a sulk according to party sources. Although, officially, they have stated that they accept the decision of the party and would respect the same, but nevertheless they have not shied away from expressing their disappointment at being left out. Senior most party MLA Bishan Singh Chufal, who is a six time MLA said that some forces within the party did not wish to see him become a cabinet minister again. He claimed unofficially before the media that he had never been part of any faction in the party and was probably paying the price for the same.
Five time MLA Banshidhar Bhagat said that personal ambitions are not always fulfilled and therefore he was disappointed somewhat. However, he added that he still respected the party decision. He said the chief minister was young and probably required a relatively younger team.
On the other hand, five time MLA and former Cabinet Minister Arvind Pandey remained incommunicado for the media. He did not pick up the phone and, later, his phone was switched off. Sources close to him claimed that he too was not very happy but would accept the decision.
In addition, party sources admitted that some deserving names had been left out. Names that were considered on the basis of their continuous wins and also because of their administrative experience included Munna Singh Chauhan (four time MLA), Umesh Sharma ‘Kau’ (four time MLA) and Vinod Chamoli (two time MLA) from Dehradun, Sanjay Gupta and Madan Kaushik from Haridwar. Of course, Madan Kaushik is tipped to remain Party President for the time being and, hence, till that time, may not be inducted into the Cabinet.