By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 25 Nov: A wave of grief has swept through the political circles of Uttarakhand following the demise of former State Cabinet Minister and veteran Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) leader Diwakar Bhatt. The veteran leader passed away after a prolonged illness at his residence in Haridwar at around 4:30 p.m. this evening. He had been receiving treatment at Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital in Dehradun for the past few days. His last rites will be performed at the Khadkhadi cremation ground in Haridwar tomorrow.
Diwakar Bhatt, a former Central President of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, was popularly known as ‘Field Marshal’ and he was regarded as one of the most dynamic and steadfast leaders of the Uttarakhand Statehood movement. He breathed his last at his Tarun Himalaya residence in Haridwar, leaving behind a legacy deeply intertwined with the state’s political journey.
UKD Central Media In-charge Kiran Rawat Kashyap shared that Bhatt had been under treatment at Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital in the capital for the last ten days and was brought home earlier today, where he passed away a short while later.
Bhatt was among the founding members of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and had been at the forefront of the separate state movement. During that time, he earned the title of ‘Field Marshal’, symbolising his courage and leadership in the agitation. Bhatt lived his political life with the same sense of strength and conviction.
Born in 1946, Diwakar Bhatt was one of the key architects of the Uttarakhand movement and a driving force behind the demand and agitation for statehood. Active from a young age, he became a prominent face of the movement during the 1980s and 1990s and consistently raised issues such as neglect of the hill regions and the need for environmental conservation. His fiery speeches and grassroots connect made him one of the most recognisable figures in the state’s political landscape.
In 2002, Bhatt contested the Devprayag Assembly constituency on a UKD ticket but lost. He again contested the elections in 2007 from the same constituency and won and went on to become a minister in the BJP led BC Khanduri Government and held the portfolio of Revenue Minister. He contested unsuccessfully in 2012 and later again in 2017 as an independent candidate, before contesting on a UKD ticket once more in 2022, when again he was defeated.
Bhatt served as a Cabinet Minister in the BJP-led Government from 2007 to 2012, handling key portfolios such as Revenue and Urban Development. His inclusion in the Cabinet was a result of the UKD’s alliance with the BJP at that time. In 2017, he was elected the Central President of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal. However, due to internal disputes within the party, he subsequently joined the BJP, before returning to the UKD in 2022.
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, a regional political party which was at the forefront of the statehood movement, had won four seats in the 2002 Assembly elections and three in 2007. However, its influence gradually declined, and in the 2022 Assembly elections, the party failed to secure any seats. At present, the UKD has no representation in the State Legislative Assembly.
The passing of Diwakar Bhatt marks the end of an era in Uttarakhand’s political history, as leaders and citizens alike remember him as a stalwart who dedicated his life to the cause of the State’s creation and development.
