Congress candidate Mamta Rakesh’s victory in the Bhagwanpur Assembly bypoll has secured absolute majority for the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha with a total of 36 seats in the 70-strong Assembly. Though the party’s State leadership has maintained that Congress appreciates the role of its alliance partner Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) in forming the State Government, the Congress is now in a position to consider the consistent demand from the party cadre for better representation in the State cabinet.
After declaration of the bypoll results, Congress workers gathered to celebrate the victory with fireworks and sweets at the Congress Bhawan. Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay credited the people of Bhagwanpur constituency for the victory while stressing that the concern of the Congress will be to meet the expectations of the people in Bhagwanpur and elsewhere in the State. “With this victory, the Congress has secured absolute majority in the Vidhan Sabha which increases the responsibilities of the Congress and the State Government,” he said. Regarding the possibility of cabinet reshuffle he said that the Congress appreciates the role of the PDF which had helped the Congress form government in Uttarakhand. Any decision taken regarding cabinet reshuffle would be known in the near future, he added. Referring to the BJP campaign for the Bhagwanpur by-poll he said, “The BJP had resorted to cheap tactics spreading rumours about the late Surendra Rakesh.
This was rejected by the public which voted on the basis of the works done by the State Government and Rakesh in his capacity as the local MlA and Cabinet Minister,” he said. Congratulating Mamta Rakesh on her victory, Rajya Sabha MP Raj Babbar said that the people had once again put their faith in the policies and works of the State Government. Stating the Bhagwanpur by-poll victory will make the Congress stronger, he opined that the Congress led State Government was doing commendable work in Uttarakhand under chief minister Harish Rawat.
It should be noted that Surendra Rakesh had been elected from Bhagwanpur in 2012 on the BSP ticket but had later been removed from the party. The bypoll victory has not only given the Congress a new constituency but has also ended its dependence on the PDF for remaining in power. The party cadre has for long been seeking more representation stating that with four cabinet ministers, the PDF has been given disproportionately higher representation in the cabinet with four of its MlAs being made Cabinet Ministers.