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Uttaranchal CM faces acid test over elections for key posts
For Uttaranchal Chief Minister Nityanand Swami, who has quelled dissidence in the state legislature party for the time being, troubles are not yet over if elections for the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the party state president are any indication.
For Uttaranchal Chief Minister Nityanand Swami, who has quelled dissidence in the state legislature party for the time being, troubles are not yet over if elections for the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the party state president are any indication.
“More than a month after cajoling three dissident MLAs- Bhagat Singh Keshiyari, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Narayan Ram Das, who had raised a banner of revolt against him – to join his cabinet, Swami is facing yet another acid test of his political career in his bid to evolve a consensus over the two coveted posts,” BJP sources said in Dehradun on Friday.
With the election for the two key posts round the corner, Lakhi Ram Joshi, a rebel BJP MLA from Tehri, has compounded the trouble for Swami by jumping into the race for the Assembly Speaker. “My name should also be considered for the Speaker's post. I don't understand why the media is not mentioning my name in this regard when Manvendra Shah, five times MP from Tehri, and other MLAs are supporting my candidature for speakership,” Joshi, who had repeatedly attacked Swami for not giving him a berth in the state cabinet, told PTI.
However, Bharat Singh Rawat, seniormost BJP MLA from Lansedown and Harbans Kapoor, MLA from Dehradun, seem to be hot contenders for the speaker's post, the sources said. With the first session of the state assembly slated to begin on January 9, Swami is left with less than a fortnight to evolve a consensus over the speaker's election.
With the election for the two key posts round the corner, Lakhi Ram Joshi, a rebel BJP MLA from Tehri, has compounded the trouble for Swami by jumping into the race for the Assembly Speaker. “My name should also be considered for the Speaker's post. I don't understand why the media is not mentioning my name in this regard when Manvendra Shah, five times MP from Tehri, and other MLAs are supporting my candidature for speakership,” Joshi, who had repeatedly attacked Swami for not giving him a berth in the state cabinet, told PTI.
However, Bharat Singh Rawat, seniormost BJP MLA from Lansedown and Harbans Kapoor, MLA from Dehradun, seem to be hot contenders for the speaker's post, the sources said. With the first session of the state assembly slated to begin on January 9, Swami is left with less than a fortnight to evolve a consensus over the speaker's election.
Bureau Report