U’khand bypoll: Poor selection of candidates blamed for BJP’s rout
30 July 2014 12:08 AM GMT
A meeting of former state chief ministers, state party president Tirath Singh Rawat and leader of opposition in state assembly Ajay Bhatt was called by party national president Amit Shah in New Delhi earlier this week.
According to well-placed sources, the state party leaders has put the blame for defeat at the door of party high command for forcing unpopular candidates on party cadres. Sources said that Shah was told how come former state minister Trivendra Singh Rawat got ticket from Doiwala, a seat which he abdicated during the last assembly election (2012) and shifted to Raipur, from where also he lost.
Rawat, a national office-bearer is close to the former party president and home minister Rajnath Singh and former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. BJP had performed well from Doiwala and Raipur Vidhan Sabha seats during recently concluded Lok Sabha election in May and also during the 2012 bypolls from Garhwal Lok Sabha seat, but had to face reverses from both seats in the assembly polls with Trivendra Singh Rawat as their party candidate.
‘Shah was told to examine at whose behest tickets were given on all the three seats when local leadership and the newly elected MPs had recommended different names for the three seats,’ said a senior party leader. The meeting also expressed dismay over former CM and Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Kosiyari for decided not to campaign on Dharchula assembly seat against Congress candidate and present CM Harish Rawat. Koshiyari like Rawat is a kumaoni rajput and was reluctant to campaign against state CM in Dharchula, which falls in the heart of Kumaon.
From Someshwar (reserved) assembly seat, Congress candidate Rekha Arya, a social worker-cum-politician defeated BJP candidate Mohan Ram Arya by a margin of nearly 10,000 votes. Earlier in 2012 assembly election, she was denied Congress ticket from Someshwar (reserved) seat and then she fought the election as an independent candidate. She was runner up and lost by a margin of 2691 votes to winner Ajay Tamta of BJP. The Congress had slipped to third position due to her involvement in assembly election at that time.
Later, after joining BJP, she played a vital role in the pre-poll strategy and mass campaigning for BJP candidate Ajay Tamta from Almora Parliamentary seat. Later, when Tamta vacated Someshwar Vidhan Sabha seat after winning Lok Sabha election, she was hopeful of getting party ticket, which was denied and she shifted to Congress.
According to well-placed sources, the state party leaders has put the blame for defeat at the door of party high command for forcing unpopular candidates on party cadres. Sources said that Shah was told how come former state minister Trivendra Singh Rawat got ticket from Doiwala, a seat which he abdicated during the last assembly election (2012) and shifted to Raipur, from where also he lost.
Rawat, a national office-bearer is close to the former party president and home minister Rajnath Singh and former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. BJP had performed well from Doiwala and Raipur Vidhan Sabha seats during recently concluded Lok Sabha election in May and also during the 2012 bypolls from Garhwal Lok Sabha seat, but had to face reverses from both seats in the assembly polls with Trivendra Singh Rawat as their party candidate.
‘Shah was told to examine at whose behest tickets were given on all the three seats when local leadership and the newly elected MPs had recommended different names for the three seats,’ said a senior party leader. The meeting also expressed dismay over former CM and Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Kosiyari for decided not to campaign on Dharchula assembly seat against Congress candidate and present CM Harish Rawat. Koshiyari like Rawat is a kumaoni rajput and was reluctant to campaign against state CM in Dharchula, which falls in the heart of Kumaon.
From Someshwar (reserved) assembly seat, Congress candidate Rekha Arya, a social worker-cum-politician defeated BJP candidate Mohan Ram Arya by a margin of nearly 10,000 votes. Earlier in 2012 assembly election, she was denied Congress ticket from Someshwar (reserved) seat and then she fought the election as an independent candidate. She was runner up and lost by a margin of 2691 votes to winner Ajay Tamta of BJP. The Congress had slipped to third position due to her involvement in assembly election at that time.
Later, after joining BJP, she played a vital role in the pre-poll strategy and mass campaigning for BJP candidate Ajay Tamta from Almora Parliamentary seat. Later, when Tamta vacated Someshwar Vidhan Sabha seat after winning Lok Sabha election, she was hopeful of getting party ticket, which was denied and she shifted to Congress.
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