For dent in Congress votes again blame NCP

In certain ways, the Uttarakhand poll outcome is the reflection of what happened in the Mumbai corporation elections.

In certain ways, the Uttarakhand poll outcome is the reflection of what happened in the Mumbai corporation elections. Apart from the incumbency factor and a reluctant chief minister who shied away from polls, party rebels and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were instrumental in the defeat of the ruling Congress in the state. The seat-sharing arrangement with the NCP that fell due to opposition from state Congress chief Harish Rawat proved costly for the party. Added to this was Rawat’s “stubborn attitude” leading to a faulty distribution of tickets.

Although the NCP failed to open its account, it ensured the defeat of at least five Congress candidates, including Forest Minister Navparbhat. On the other hand, party rebels won three seats but also damaged the prospects of many other official party candidates. Rajinder Bhandari from Nandprayag, Yashpal Benam from Pauri and Gagan Singh from Dharchula won as Independents.

Gagan Singh, a sitting Congress legislator, was denied ticket without any logical explanation despite the fact that all the other 39 sitting Congress legislators were given party tickets. Rajinder Bhandari defeated the official Congress candidate from Nandprayag by a margin of 1,790 votes while the NCP and Congress candidates together polled more votes.

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At Pauri, Yashpal Benam defeated Education Minister Narender Bhandari. Another party rebel Madan Bisht, who also enjoyed ministerial rank, led to the defeat of Congress candidate from Dwarahat in Kumaon region. Vivekanand Khanduri, another party rebel who fought as a candidate of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), led to the defeat of Transport Minister Hira Singh Bisht from Rajpur segment in Dehradun.

Before the elections, Union Minister Suresh Pachauri and in-charge general secretary Moti Lal Vora had struck a deal with the NCP by offering two seats of Dehradun Khas and Laldhang in Hardwar to them but Harish Rawat did not agree, forcing the NCP to fight on 26 seats in the state. Many of the party rebels fought elections as NCP candidates. Forest Minister Navparbhat lost to the BJP by a margin of 3,000 votes in Vikasnagar segment while NCP candidate Ragunath Negi secured more than 4,000 votes.

At Nainital, Harish Bisht of the NCP who secured more than 8,000 votes led to the defeat of Congress candidate Jaya Bisht. Similarly, Dr. Jit Ram of the NCP secured more than 8,000 votes leading to the defeat of Congress candidate from Pindar segment. Bharat Chaudhary of the NCP got more than 7,000 votes from Rudraprayag causing the defeat of Congress candidate by 6,800 votes. At Narendra Nagar, Congress candidate Subodh Uniyal lost by four votes to UKD while NCP got nearly 2,000 votes.