News Headlines
Uttarakhand: Congress MLA From Uttarkashi's Purola Returns To BJP, Second Loss To Congress In A Week
Swarajya Staff
Sep 14, 2021, 01:40 PM | Updated 01:40 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttarakhand welcomed a new member earlier this week — ahead of the 2022 polls.
Congress MLA Rajkumar, a Dalit leader who represents Purola constituency in the Uttarakhand Assembly, joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
He represents Purola constituency in Tehri Garhwal.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Uttarakhand BJP president Madan Kaushik were also present at MLA Rajkumar's induction in the BJP in New Delhi.
BJP is working towards making people from the lower caste independent, while Congress has made these people dependent on subsidies since Independence. I've joined the party today after seeing BJP's great work in Uttarakhand: Purola MLA Rajkumar pic.twitter.com/TPQ2GUl1y8
— ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2021
MLA Rajkumar has returned to the BJP after nine years. He joined the Congress in 2012 and was away from the party for two Assembly polls.
His exit from the Congress is a setback to the party. It comes after Pritam Singh Panwar, who had the support of the Congress in Dhanaulti, joined the BJP last week.
Panwar was urban development minister in the Harish Rawat government. With this re-entry, the BJP's position in Tehri and Uttarkashi districts becomes stronger.
Rajkumar and Panwar are known for their strengths and clout in the region and constituencies they come from. At the induction ceremony, Dhami mentioned that his work for the weaker sections of society and his popularity will help the BJP.
Rajkumar became a BJP MLA in 2007. He fought the 2012 polls as an independent and lost the election. In the 2017 Vidhan Sabha polls, he fought from the Purola constituency as a Congress candidate and won.
Congress has reacted to the move by saying that he was 'weak', and has treated the mandate of the people of Purola with disrespect.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Introducing ElectionsHQ + 50 Ground Reports Project
The 2024 elections might seem easy to guess, but there are some important questions that shouldn't be missed.
Do freebies still sway voters? Do people prioritise infrastructure when voting? How will Punjab vote?
The answers to these questions provide great insights into where we, as a country, are headed in the years to come.
Swarajya is starting a project with an aim to do 50 solid ground stories and a smart commentary service on WhatsApp, a one-of-a-kind. We'd love your support during this election season.
Click below to contribute.