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BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya (R) with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. (Photo: Twitter/@KailashOnline) As the political scene in Uttarakhand heats up, with exit poll predicting a hung House and a close race between the Congress and ruling BJP, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya – who successfully engineered a split in the Congress ranks in 2016 – has entered the picture.
The BJP national general secretary, who arrived in Dehradun on Sunday, has held meetings with top state leaders including incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and former CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. While Vijayvargiya denied being in contact with candidates of other parties, the Congress is understandably on alert.
In 2016, Vijayvargiya was said to have played a key role in the revolt within the Congress against its then CM Harish Rawat. As the state went under President’s Rule, an unhappy Rawat had been one of the reasons for a Congress collapse. In the 2017 elections, the party had won only 11 seats, with the BJP getting 57 of 70. In this election, Rawat is back at the front and centre in the Congress campaign.
On Monday, Vijayvargiya was present at a meeting held by the BJP state unit with office-bearers, district presidents and party candidates, along with Union minister Pralhad Joshi.
Congress organisation general secretary Mathura Dutt Joshi told The Indian Express that the timing of Vijayvargiya’s visit to Uttarakhand was significant. He also said that if needed, the party would consider shifting its winning MLAs to “a secure location”.
“In 2016, Vijayvargiya stayed here for a month and left only after dislodging our government,” Joshi said, adding that the Congress central leaders were expected to reach Dehradun soon to counter any such moves and be ready for any eventuality on result day.
Denying the Congress claims, Vijayvargiya said the BJP would get a two-third majority in the state and not need any outside help to form the government. “I do not know why Congress is scared of my entry in Uttarakhand… We will have our CM and our Cabinet will be formed with a a two-third majority. The Congress has already admitted defeat.”
He claimed he had arrived in the state for training of party workers before the counting. “Sometimes those participating are new workers and that is why their training is important… The BJP takes elections very seriously and that is why we also take counting seriously,” Vijayvargiya told the media.
Exit polls have suggested a tough fight in Uttarakhand, which voted on February 14, with none giving either the Congress or the BJP more than 40 seats in the 70-member Assembly. No party has retained power in Uttarakhand since its formation in 2000.
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