Though technically out of the race for the Rajya Sabha election slated for Saturday, the BJP is in the thick of the contest as it has manoeuvred things to leave space for one of the two independent candidates to take on the Congress nominee.
It is learnt that one of the two independents, Geeta Thakur, has cleared out of the contest at the final moment, saying she was withdrawing in favour of Anil Goel, another independent candidate. Notably, the top BJP brass was present when the two independents had filed their nomination papers.
Sources said that senior BJP leaders have managed to convince her to leave the race to make it a straight fight between the Congress candidate Pradeep Tamta and Anil Goel.
Political analysts say that BJP has been trying to play the regional card, making the contest to one between Garhwal and Kumaon regions. Importantly, discontent has been brewing in the State Congress roost over the party’s top brass favouring those from Kumanon from where the Chief Minister Harish Rawat himself hails at the expense of those from the Garwal region.
Party insiders said that the 27 BJP MlAs would vote for Goel. The Congress enjoys support of 36 MlAs, including the six member PDF team. The effective strength of the House now stands at 59, including the nominated MlA, following the disqualification of 12 MlAs under the anti-defection act. In this scenario, the winner needs 30 votes. It means that that the BJP must get three more from the rival side to foist an upset on the Congress while the Congress must keep its flock together.
Thakur said that being disciplined worker of BJP, she had decided to withdraw, keeping the field open for Goel to take on the Congress candidate. Goel thanked her for the gesture. It is well-known that after the Congress high command declared the name of Pradeep Tamta as the party candidate, things exploded in the party with several leaders and those from PDF venting anger. Congress brass explained things in the terms of Tamta being from the Dalit community.
The logic failed to cut ice as PCC president Kishore Upadhyay, Yashpal Arya and Prof Jeet Ram who were eying the solitary seat in the Upper House are all from the same Scheduled Caste category. They are all in the sulk mode despite flaunting unity in the party over the nomination.
CM Rawat as is his wont has left no stone unturned to lend the contest a definite colour to rally all in the party behind Tamta, his staunch loyalist. He said the State would make history by electing a Dalit as the RS member. He even asked BJP to lend support to him.
However, resentment is still simmering in the party with none other than State party chief Updhayay saying that the CM should have selected one Dalit leader from the Garhwal region that has remained at the receiving end of the party brass promoting Kumaon, leaving the other region out in the cold.
The State watchers say the Kumaon-Garhwal confrontation simmering in the Congress might play a role in the voting pattern of the Congress MlAs. “Harish Rawat promoting Kumaon was clear even when Vijay Bahuguna was the CM. He had Govind Singh Kunjwal from Kumaon rammed on the gullet of Bahuguna through manipulative politics.
later, Mahendra Singh Mahra was elected as the RS member thanks to the patronage of the present CM. Mahara is from Kumaon too. Given the state of things, it is possible that Kishore Upadhyay might play a destabilising role along with the resentful MlAs to topple the Congress apple cart while using up to the hilt the regional schism involving Kumaon and Garhwal. Moreover, we must keep in mind that the PDF is a disgruntled lot too. They asked the Congress to support one of the MlAs from the group to go to the RS in lieu of the support they had lent to the embattled Harish Rawat ministry during its worst political crisis. Things seem headed for a cliffhanger,” said one of them.