Amid Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s elevation as the chief of the BJP’s election committee, intense lobbying has begun in rank and file of the BJP’s Uttarakhand unit for selection of candidates of their choice in all five lok Sabha seats of the mountain State.
With Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre facing a tough time particularly on economic front resulting in unprecedented inflation, it seems the activists of the State BJP are in hurry to get names of their favourite leaders declared for all the lok Sabha seats in the hill State. With the Almora-Pithoragarh parliamentary seat being reserved, many a senior BJP leaders are now eying for the prestigious Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar parliamentary constituency.
Among others names of senior BJP leaders from the Kumaon division including Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Bachi Singh Rawat to name a few are doing the rounds for quite some time now for this Nainital- Udham Singh Nagar seat. However, when asked if he was in the race for the party ticket for the Nainital –Udham Singh Nagar parliamentary constituency, Rawat did not rule out it. Rather, Rawat maintained, he had been constantly been in touch with his electorate in this Nainitl –Udham Singh Nagar lok Sabha seat.
It may be recalled that Rawat was BJP’s candidate from the aforesaid lok Sabha seat in the 2009 general elections. However, that time Congress’ K C Baba managed to retain this seat. More so, since 2009 polls I have been in this constituency with the people, therefore, no need to say much at this juncture, Rawat further said.
However, when the issue of lobbying within the party for selection of candidates of their choice for different lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand was raised before BJP’s national secretary Trivendra Singh Rawat, during his Kumaon visit on Sunday, he denied to have any kind of preparations for selection of candidates. There is no such kind of exercise presently going on within the party. But demanding party ticket is right of party leaders. Finally it is the party’s central leadership that takes a decision on such matter, he maintained.
However, the BJP’s national secretary and former Agriculture Minister of Uttarakhand said that Modi is the most popular leader across the country. There is no doubt about it. In the meanwhile, he came down heavily on the present Congress led State Government on disaster management issue, alleging there is no management post natural disaster that the mountain state faced this rainy season. A large number of families is still homeless in many parts of disaster affected parts of the Kumaon divison particularly Pithorgarh as I have witnessed during my visit in these areas.
The affected families need immediate relief. But this Government has totally failed in mitigating hardship of the people, he alleged.