Second in family to occupy top post

Maj Gen Bhuvan Chander Khanduri (retd) is the second leader from Garhwal after his maternal uncle Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna to become the chief minister of a state.

Born on October 1,1934, Khanduri joined BJP after his retirement. In the 1991 Lok Sabha polls, Khanduri was given the party ticket to contest the Lok Sabha election from Pauri Garhwal. However, he refused to contest since his cousin Vijay Bahuguna, was supposed to be his Congress rival. But at the eleventh hour, Congress decided to field Satpal Maharaj and Khanduri defeated him to enter the Lok Sabha. In 1996, he lost to Satpal Maharaj, but was re-elected in 1998 and 1999 going on to become the BJP Chief Whip. He was inducted as a Union Minister of State with independent charge of surface transport and highways and elevated to the Cabinet in 2003. In 2004, he was again elected from Pauri Garhwal. Khanduri was made incharge of the election campaign committee for Uttarakhand elections before being chosen to head the BJP government in the state.