BJP president Nitin Nabin arrived in Uttarakhand on Thursday for a three-day trip to meet a core group of party leaders in what is seen as the start of preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.
On day one of his trip, Nabin huddled with the state ministers to take stock of the ground situation. The BJP is under constant fire in the hill state because of the alleged misrule of the Pushkar Singh Dhami government, poor law and order and lack of development.
The murder of a resort receptionist in Rishikesh in September 2022 for allegedly refusing to give “special favours” to a visiting VIP is still a simmering issue in the state, and people believe that the government is protected the unidentified individual.
Vanantara Resort, where the 19-year-old receptionist worked, was owned by Vinod Arya, then chairman of the pottery board with state minister rank. His son Pulkit Arya and two of his associates were awarded life terms but the government never revealed the name of the “VIP”. A woman BJP leader had recently taken the name of a national general secretary of the party in connection with the murder.
Manveer Chauhan, media in-charge of the BJP in the state, said: “The people will not fall into the trap of the Congress. Our national president will hold several meetings with the party workers, who are ready to bring the BJP back to power.”
Uttarakhand is one of the states where the Congress has a strong presence. Of the 70 seats in the state, the BJP has 47 with a vote share of 44.3 per cent. The Congress has 17 seats with a 37.9 per cent vote share. The Congress has succeeded in organising mass movements in the state on almost every issue, including the “deplorable” law and order and corruption.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will visit the state on June 4 and address rallies in Almora and Pauri. “No trick of the BJP will work here. People are eager to throw them out because they are fed up with the party. The Congress will form a majority government here in 2027,” said state Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal.