Wrangling in Cong, BJP for ticket to kin

SMA KAZMI

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 15

The recent statement of Chief Minister Harish Rawat regarding giving ticket to sons and daughters of senior political leaders who are ‘winnable’, will intensify infighting in the ranks of the state party unit as state Congress president Kishore Upadhyay is opposed to the idea.

Earlier, Upadhyay had made a pitch for ‘one ticket, one family’ formula as seen in the Punjab Congress. Upadhyay’s move was seen as an attempt to stop Harish Rawat and two other senior ministers from getting party nominations for their sons and daughters in the forthcoming Assembly elections slated for February 15.

Rawat is rooting for Congress ticket to his daughter and son. His daughter Anupuma Rawat is a ticket aspirant from the Haridwar rural seat while his elder son Virendra Rawat has applied from two seats in Kumaon. There is also talk of Harish Rawat’s wife Renuka Rawat to be fielded from Kumaon.

Similarly, Revenue Minister Yashpal Arya, MLA from Bazpur in the Terai region, is also seeking ticket for his son Sanjeev Arya from Nainital while Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh wants her son Sumit Hridayesh to contest from Haldwani, her traditional seat. She wants to shift to Kichha in the Terai region. This has led to resentment among party leaders, who also want the party ticket. 

Upadhyay, who is at loggerheads with Harish Rawat, has expressed reservation to giving ticket to the kith and kin of senior leaders. However, Harish Rawat, who wants to launch his son and daughter, had ridiculed the ‘one ticket, one family’ norm. The Chief Minister by stating that kin of ministers who are winnable can be given ticket has indicated that some of them can get the party nomination.

The situation in the Uttarakhand BJP is no different. Some of the senior leaders want their son and daughters to be given ticket, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement asking leaders to refrain from pressuring the party for nominations for their relatives at the recently concluded national executive meeting has dashed their plans.

Ritu Khanduri, daughter of Pauri Garhwal MP BC Khanduri, is keen to fight from one of the seats in Pauri Garhwal district. She has been working in the area for the past sometime. Another senior party leader and former Union minister, Satpal Maharaj, and his wife Amrita Rawat, a former Uttarakhand minister and former legislator from Ramnagar, are also keen on party nomination from the Garhwal region. Munna Singh Chauhan, a former legislator and BJP spokesperson, is seeking party nomination from Vikasnagar while his wife Madhu Chauhan is also an aspirant from the adjoining Chakrata seat. 

Senior BJP leader Harbans Kapoor, legislator from Dehradun Cantonment, is keen to get ticket for his son Amit. A son and nephew of senior BJP leader and former minister Matbar Singh Kandari are also seeking ticket.

Both parties have yet to decide on candidates and are expected to announce their lists soon.