DEHRADUN: With Uttarakhand’s Assembly elections expected in early 2027, political realignments are gathering pace as leaders weigh local dynamics and the changing political climate. In two contrasting developments, former Pauri MLA Yashpal Benam has quit the BJP after eight years, while Rudraprayag zilla panchayat member Gyalu Lal has returned to the Congress just five days after joining the BJP.
Benam, a prominent figure in Pauri politics and a former municipal chairperson, resigned from the BJP’s primary membership on Sunday. He cited personal reasons, a sense of being misunderstood within the party and what he described as a growing feeling of suffocation. He said he would decide on his next political move soon.
"Exactly eight years ago, on October 18, I joined the BJP. By coincidence, I have decided to leave the party on October 18, eight years later,” Benam said.
He added that party leaders had not made an effort to understand him. "I was feeling suffocated in the BJP. I am not used to living in such circumstances, so I decided to part ways," he said.
Benam said his political career had been shaped by his principles and independent outlook. He has contested elections as an Independent and, according to him, built his political identity on his own abilities and public support.
"Even after spending eight years in the BJP, the party did not make proper use of my capabilities," he said.
Benam was elected MLA from the Pauri Assembly constituency in 2007. He has also served three terms as municipal chairperson—twice as an Independent and once as a BJP candidate. His exit is being viewed as a significant development for the party in Pauri district ahead of the next Assembly election.
In Rudraprayag, meanwhile, Gyalu Lal reversed course within days of leaving the Congress for the BJP. Speaking to reporters at a hotel in Gulabrai, he described his decision to join the BJP as “the biggest mistake” and said he had now corrected it by returning to the Congress.
The rapid switch has added to the political movement in the state ahead of the polls. Earlier in the week, several leaders and workers associated with the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party joined the Congress at the party’s state headquarters in Dehradun.
The induction took place in the presence of senior Congress leaders Ganesh Godiyal and Pritam Singh. Those who joined were mainly from the Chakrata, Vikasnagar and Sahaspur Assembly constituencies.