The state chiefs of both the Congress and the BJP in Uttarakhand find themselves in a tough spot in the assembly elections as dissidence is proving to be big headache. The two leaders are battling party rebels in their respective constituencies even as they fight a tough electoral battle.
Kishor Upadhyay, state president of the Congress, is up against a tough competitor from BJP's Sahdev Pundir, who is also the sitting MLA, in Sahaspur on the outskirts of the state capital Dehradun. While it is a new seat for Upadhyay, who is learnt to have been keen to contest from Tehri instead, making matters more difficult for him is the presence of party rebel Ayendra Sharma as an independent candidate in the seat.
Sharma, who was the OSD (Officer on Special Duty) of former chief minister N.D. Tiwari, had contested from the seat on a Congress ticket in the 2012 elections. He was, however, defeated by Pundir. Ironically, while he is posing problems for the official candidate Upadhyay this time, he is said to have been defeated as a result of two rebel candidates of the Congress eating into the votes for the party.
“I am confident of winning from Sahaspur. People remember me for the work that I did as industries minister for the Selaqui Industrial Area. As for Ayendra Sharma, I don't think he can damage my chances as he had lost by a big margin last time,” Upadhyay said.
If Upadhyay is finding it tough in the plains of Sahaspur, state BJP President Ajay Bhatt is finding himself in a similar situation in the hill constituency of Ranikhet. Bhatt, who is the sitting MLA from the area, is locked in a tough battle with old rival Karan Mahara of the Congress. He had defeated Mahara by just about 70 votes in the 2012 election. In 2007, Mahara had defeated him. What makes this fight interesting is that Mahara happens to be Chief Minister Harish Rawat's wife's brother. Also, Bhatt and Rawat are from neighbouring villages in Almora district.
The voters of Ranikhet have alternated between Bhatt and Mahara, and this makes the poll more challenging for Bhatt, who is the incumbent. Increasing the difficulties for Bhatt, BJP leader Dr Pramod Nainwal has refused to withdraw his candidature as an independent from the constituency.
“The victory margin might have been slim last time. But this time, the people are convinced that their future is safe in the hands of the BJP. The enthusiasm that I am seeing amongst the people as I go out to campaign assures me of a victory,” says Bhatt.
Dissidence has proved to be a major issue for both the Congress and the BJP in Uttarakhand in these elections. The two parties have in all expelled over two dozen party members for refusing to withdraw from the fray.
