NEW DELHI: The BJP got a shot in the arms after the Congress veteran and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Narayan Dutt Tiwari offered his support to the saffron outfit in the poll-bound hilly state.
Known for his dislikes against the incumbent chief minister Harish Rawat, 91 years old Tiwari along with his son Rohit Shekhar Tiwari met the BJP chief Amit Shah at his residence in the national capital.
The BJP in its first list of candidates for the poll-bound Uttarakhand had released the names of 64 candidates, which included 15 rebel Congress leaders who had deserted the
Harish Rawat camp. With the BJP yet to release the names of six more candidates, speculation is rife that Rohit Shekhar Tiwari might be fielded from the Haldwani Assembly constituency in the state. In his stint as the chief minister of Uttarakhand, ND Tiwari had apparently faced rebellion from Rawat.
Even while Tiwari is no longer active in politics, the BJP is counting on him to galvanise the Brahmins in both Uttarakhand and the poll-bound UP. While Uttarakhand is heading to polls on February 15, UP elections will be held in seven phases.
The junior Tiwari told reporters that his father while blessing the BJP chief, offered his support to the saffron outfit in the Assembly election. He stated that the Congress had been ignoring his father in the recent times.