Churn in Uttarakhand as 2 former MLAs from BJP, 1 from BSP bounce ship to Congress | India Information
3 min learnDehradunUp to date: Mar 28, 2026 08:04 PM IST
With lower than a yr for the polls, two former BJP legislators and an ex-BSP MLA joined the Congress in New Delhi Saturday.
The leaders are Rajkumar Thukral, a preferred chief from Rudrapur and two-time MLA, who was denied a ticket in 2022 by the BJP; Bhimlal Arya, former Ghansali MLA who was suspended from the BJP for supporting Congress in 2016; Narayan Pal, a BSP MLA from Sitarganj. Others embody Gaurav Goyal, former Mayor of Roorkee, Lakhan Singh Negi, who’s the present District Panchayat member from Bhimtal, Anuj Gupta, former Municipal Chairman of Mussoorie, and Yashpal Rana from Roorkee.
Thukral had contested from Udham Singh Nagar’s Rudrapur in 2012 and 2017 on a BJP ticket, even securing 59.19 per cent votes polled in 2017. Nevertheless, in 2022, the BJP denied him a ticket, after which he contested as an unbiased. He got here third, getting 20 per cent of the votes polled, whereas the Congress polled 30.9 per cent within the seat.
Thukral shot to recognition in the course of the statehood motion when he was jailed. In 2003, he turned the Municipal Chairman of the Bharatiya Janata Celebration.
Bhimlal Arya, who contested within the SC-reserved Ghansali seat, turned a BJP MLA in 2012, however was suspended for anti-party actions. In 2016, he was disqualified by the Speaker for cross-voting in favour of the then Harish Rawat authorities. Although he contested on a Congress ticket in 2017 and later in 2022 as an unbiased, he got here third in each situations.
The previous BSP MLA Narayan Pal had received in 2002 and 2007, however turned unsuccessful in 2012.
The leaders have been inducted into the get together by senior state leaders and state in-charge and MP Selja. The Congress leaders mentioned that it is extremely important that most of the leaders who joined Congress have been beforehand related to the BJP, and their transfer is a sign of discontentment with the get together and management. Selja mentioned that Dhami has turn out to be more and more unpopular among the many folks of the state, including that the latest cupboard rejig was an try to fight the general public anger. When 5 new ministers have been inducted, Congress took a dig at BJP, saying seven of the 12 ministers within the Dhami Cupboard have been former Congressmen and that the BJP “wanted its ideology to run its authorities”.
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The defection might assist Congress in Udham Singh Nagar, the place it at the moment has 5 of the 9 meeting seats. The BJP has been feeling the warmth after its legislator from Gadarpur, Arvind Pandey, was accused of land grabbing, and his household faces an FIR beneath fraud and prison intimidation. A latest suicide of a farmer within the area had additionally resulted in protests towards the federal government and police.
In the meantime, the BJP state President and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt hit again, calling Congress a celebration of 4 leaders, whosE in-charge doesn’t even contemplate it crucial to go to Uttarakhand. He mentioned that those that joined Congress had already been expelled from the BJP way back and subsequently can’t be thought-about faces of the get together.
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