BJPs Parliamentary Board will decide fate of Pushkar Dhami and course of action in the 4 states

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, March 11

Amid the BJP’s spectacular 4/5 Assembly win, there were also some unexpected losses. While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath registered his first Assembly win from Gorakhpur Urban, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reclaimed his traditional Sanquelim Assembly constituency and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh defeated his nearest Congress rival P Saratchandra Singh in Heingang. Their counterpart in Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, lost his Khatima seat in Udham Singh Nagar district to Bhuwan Kapri of Congress. 

It remains to be seen how the BJP manages the situation given that Dhami was chosen to lead the state after two successive changes (Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tirath Singh Rawat), a decision that paid good dividends to the saffron party under him. Sources said that the BJP’s Parliamentary Board will decide the fate of Dhami, whether to continue with him or opt for some other leader, and the remaining course of action in the four states regarding the oath-taking ceremonies. 

The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), the top decision-making body of BJP’s ideological fountainhead RSS, is also meeting in Karnavati in Ahmedabad from March 11-13.

Meanwhile, UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya also lost to Apna Dal (Kameravadi) leader Pallavi Patel by 7,337 votes in Sirathu. The Apna Dal (K) is one of the parties that Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party had tied up with for this year’s assembly election. 

Interestingly, former minister in Uttar Pradesh cabinet Swami Prasad Maurya, who had joined the SP on the eve of the state polls, lost to BJP’s Surendra Kumar Kushwaha in Fazilnagar. He chose not to contest from Padrauna, from where he won last time, fearing anti-incumbency. His decision to ditch the BJP, putting it in a spot, has also put a question mark on the political future of his daughter Sanghmitra Maurya, a BJP MP, who is also said to have campaigned in favour of her father.

Swami Prasad Maurya said he has lost elections but not courage. “I respect people’s mandate. I congratulate all winning candidates. Somebody loses, someone wins elections. These are two aspects of democracy. So, we will accept defeat just like we accept victory. We have lost elections, not courage,” he quoted.

Independent candidate and son of former BJP CM Manohar Parrikar, Utpal Parrikar, lost to BJP’s Atanasio Monserratte in Panaji, managing to get 6,071 votes against 6,787 votes polled by his closest rival.