With Ajay Tamta being inducted into the Union Cabinet, a section of the BJP rank and file, particularly from his native district of Almora in Kumaon region, is in a celebratory mood. However, others are wondering as to how the party’s top brass would fine-tune the new power house with the new Union Minister in command with the aspirations of the other factions, mainly led by the three regional satraps-Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
An observer said that the task awaiting the BJP high command ahead of the Assembly poll would be Herculean, given the factional schism alive in the State party unit. “The move is somewhat baffling. BJP leadership is considered adept in synthesising the caste and regional factors. It might bring dividends as it might woo the young Dalit voters. This is not insignificant, given the fact that the Dalit community constitutes over 15 per cent of the State’s electorate.
However, in terms of region, the move would exacerbate the Kumaon-Garwal squabbling with BJP in no position to pillory the Congress on the same sensitive matter. Besides, the question of balancing the factional arm-twisting has remained unanswered by the party brass’s latest move,” said an observer.
BJP must be more cautious when it comes to dealing with the caste and regional divide gnawing at the State politics. “Congress played it rightly when it formed the Government with Vijay Bahuguna as the CM on March 13, 2012. At the time, Dalit leader from Kumaon Yashpal Arya was the State party chief. BJP played the same game adroitly when the party made Ajay Bhatt, a Brahmin who hails from Kumaon, as the leader of the Opposition in 2012.
Things were balanced as Tirath Singh Rawat, who was a Thakur from Garhwal region, was made the state BJP president. Ajay Tamta was foisted when speculations were rife in the party roost that the Udham Singh Nagar MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari who was found hyperactive during the President’s Rule, might be accommodated in the Modi Government.
In case it happened a leader from Garhwal who should be a Brahmin can be made the party’s CM face for the upcoming Assembly election. This would have fitted in perfectly with emerging equations of the state’s political trajectory. But things have happened otherwise, leaving the state party leaders agape in wonder as to how they would take on the redoubtable Harish Rawat head-on at the hustings,” said a BJP insider.
However, there is a view that BJP is bent on endearing the Dalit community to itself so as to come back to power to Uttar Pradesh. True, as many as five Dalits have been inducted in the Union council of ministers. “Maybe the party high command’s eyes are glued exclusively to Uttar Pradesh, the state which catapulted the saffron party in the seat of power at the Centre by giving it an unimaginable share of the state’s 80 seats during 2014 general election. Maybe, Uttarakhand is all set to play second fiddle to the electoral compulsions of its mighty neighbour UP,” said a political observer.
Dalit community is a decisive factor in the outcome of election in one of the most important districts of the state Haridwar. Knowing this, the CM has been keeping a hawk eye vigil on the district. He has been frequenting the district to keep things under his command. It has emotional strings attached to him too. After being humbled by the BJP leader Bachi Singh Rawat in general election from Almora he shifted his constituency to Haridwar in 2009. He was elected too and became a Cabinet minister of Manmohan Singh government. BSP has also quite a good hold here.
During the Assembly election-2012, the Dalit-centred party won three out of 11 Assembly seats from Haridwar district.
However, after the demise of Surendra Rakesh, his widow Mamta Rakesh won Bhagwanpur Assembly by-poll on a Congress ticket.
“There is a reason to believe that BJP would try to set its teeth in the district deeply by showcasing the young Dalit Union minister to woo the Dalit community to its camp.
Apart from the caste-oriented factor, there is an unmistakably strong message lurking in the party high command’s move. It is that they are in full command over the State party roost and would not buckle under pressure from any of the factions,” an observer said.
It is, however, learnt that either of the posts- leader of the Opposition or state BJP president- might go to a Garhwal-based leader to counterbalance things in the coming days.