 "BJP takes head start over Congress in Uttarakhand")
Despite fissures in both main parties in Uttarakhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a head start over the Congress in the coming general election.
The saffron party declared all its five candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in the hill state on March 15. However, the Congress is yet to announce its list. BJP leader and former Chief Minister B C Khanduri slammed the ruling party, saying, "It is a funny situation for the Congress as it fails to find candidates against us (BJP candidates)." Khanduri has already kick-started his campaign from Pauri constituency.
BJP leaders claimed the party's campaign has taken a big leap forward during the past few days. All five candidates, including three former chief ministers - Khanduri (Pauri), B S Koshiyari (Nainital) and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (Haridwar)- had been organising a series of road shows in their respective constituencies.
On the other hand, the Congress is yet to recover from the damage caused by the resignation of senior party leader Satpal Maharaj, who joined the BJP last week. Chief Minister Harish Rawat is facing difficulty for not finding suitable candidates against the top guns of BJP. The difficulties were compounded with former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna also showing reluctance to contest election from Tehri constituency against BJP candidate Maharani Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, the sitting MP.
State tourism minister Amrita Rawat, wife of Maharaj, has also declined to contest from Pauri. Maharaj had also refused similar offer from the Congress to contest from Pauri before his resignation. But Amrita had made her intentions very clear that she will also not sit idly. "I will continue to raise issues pertaining to the aam aadmi," she said. However, she again made it clear that she will not quit Congress and leave her Ramnagar Assembly seat just like that.
In Nainital, former chief minister N D Tiwari is also gauging the mood of the people to contest from there. In case Tiwari contests from Nainital, he will make things difficult for sitting Congress MP K C Singh Baba.
In a situation where the Congress is virtually a divided house, Rawat is facing tough time.
Meanwhile, the Congress has also organised road shows and marches in Dehradun and other parts of the state as part of campaign. "We are ready to beat the BJP and repeat the 2009 performance (when the party won all the five seats)," said PCC chief Yashpal Arya.
The saffron party declared all its five candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in the hill state on March 15. However, the Congress is yet to announce its list. BJP leader and former Chief Minister B C Khanduri slammed the ruling party, saying, "It is a funny situation for the Congress as it fails to find candidates against us (BJP candidates)." Khanduri has already kick-started his campaign from Pauri constituency.
BJP leaders claimed the party's campaign has taken a big leap forward during the past few days. All five candidates, including three former chief ministers - Khanduri (Pauri), B S Koshiyari (Nainital) and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (Haridwar)- had been organising a series of road shows in their respective constituencies.
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After some initial rumblings in the party over ticket distribution, the BJP has managed to bring calm in the state unit by effectively silencing the two key disgruntled leaders. Madan Kaushik in Haridwar and Bachi Singh Rawat in Nainital. Both the leaders have not made any adverse remark against the party during the past couple of days. The two leaders were peeved after Nishank and Koshiyari got preference over them in getting tickets.
On the other hand, the Congress is yet to recover from the damage caused by the resignation of senior party leader Satpal Maharaj, who joined the BJP last week. Chief Minister Harish Rawat is facing difficulty for not finding suitable candidates against the top guns of BJP. The difficulties were compounded with former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna also showing reluctance to contest election from Tehri constituency against BJP candidate Maharani Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, the sitting MP.
State tourism minister Amrita Rawat, wife of Maharaj, has also declined to contest from Pauri. Maharaj had also refused similar offer from the Congress to contest from Pauri before his resignation. But Amrita had made her intentions very clear that she will also not sit idly. "I will continue to raise issues pertaining to the aam aadmi," she said. However, she again made it clear that she will not quit Congress and leave her Ramnagar Assembly seat just like that.
In Nainital, former chief minister N D Tiwari is also gauging the mood of the people to contest from there. In case Tiwari contests from Nainital, he will make things difficult for sitting Congress MP K C Singh Baba.
In a situation where the Congress is virtually a divided house, Rawat is facing tough time.
Meanwhile, the Congress has also organised road shows and marches in Dehradun and other parts of the state as part of campaign. "We are ready to beat the BJP and repeat the 2009 performance (when the party won all the five seats)," said PCC chief Yashpal Arya.