BJP to make graft poll plank, Cong banks on Rawat

BDKasniyal

Pithoragarh, August 29

As the Assembly elections are approaching, various political parties have started looking for poll issues.

The BJP has started raising the issue of corruption by the Congress government and alleged that the land, wine and forest mafias were active and looting the resources of the state.

The ruling party has been banking on the personality of Chief Minister Harish Rawat to win the poll.

“The issue of the corrupt Congress government and the neglect of constituencies represented by opposition legislators are the issues we will highlight,” said Bishan Singh Chufal, BJP MLA from the Didihat Assembly constituency.

The Kumaon region, home of Chief Minister Harish Rawat and senior Congress leaders Dr Indira Hriydesh, Yashpal Arya and opposition leader Ajay Bhatt, has started vibrating with activities these days.

When the question of poll issues comes to the fore, the main political parties, the BJP and the Congress, have their general issues, while some local issues like separate districts have also come up.

The issue of making Ranikhet a separate district from Almora is also a hot issue though politicians differ on it. While BJP leader Ajay Bhatt wants to create Ranikhet as a separate district by including the Bhikiasain subdivision in the district, the Congress ticket aspirant Karan Mahara, a relative of the Chief Minister, wants Ramganga district by including the basin of western Ramganga, Bhikiasain and subdivision of Ranikhet in it.

“Ramganga district having the headquarters at Bhikiasain is suitable for the people who live in the remote region of Ranikhet subdivision,” said Karan Mahara. The issue of separate district is affecting Didihat voters who have been waiting the formation of a separate district of Didihat since it was announced by former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in 2011. “The issue of separate district of Didihat is main issue this time,” said a source.