DEHRADUN: In a major strategic shift aimed at curbing anti-incumbency, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership has delivered a stern message to its Uttarakhand cabinet to perform in their current constituency or face the axe.
The party has officially banned “seat-hopping”, making it clear that no minister will be allowed to move to a “safer” seat in the upcoming Assembly elections.
The decision comes as the saffron party begins groundwork to secure a historic third consecutive term in the Himalayan state. By forcing ministers to stick to their current constituencies, the leadership aims to hold them directly accountable for development, or the lack of it, in their respective regions.
Speaking to TNIE, BJP state spokesperson and senior MLA Vinod Chamoli highlighted the risks of ministers abandoning their constituencies.
“We have seen instances where an MLA wins, becomes a minister, and then seeks a different seat in the next election to avoid local friction. The organisation is fully aware of this. When a minister leaves their seat, it sends a demoralising message to the voters. It makes the battle uphill for the new candidate and triggers resentment among local workers in the new constituency who have been preparing for years. The party views this as a double loss,” Chamoli said.
To ensure an objective evaluation, the central leadership is set to launch an internal survey. This “report card” will assess the public image of ministers and the tangible benefits their portfolios have delivered to local voters. With the challenge of overcoming anti-incumbency fatigue, the party is reportedly setting stringent benchmarks for ticket distribution.
The pressure is not limited to the cabinet. Newly appointed state party chief Nitin Nabin has signalled that “lethargy will not be tolerated”. Sitting MLAs have been given a one-year window to significantly improve their performance or risk being replaced by fresh faces.
The current political landscape in Uttarakhand adds another layer of complexity to the strategy. Of the 12 sanctioned ministerial berths under Articles 164 and 75 of the Constitution, five remain vacant. The Pushkar Singh Dhami government is currently functioning with just six cabinet ministers following the death of Chandan Ram Das and the removal of Premchand Agarwal.
The cabinet’s internal composition is also under scrutiny. Senior ministers such as Satpal Maharaj, Rekha Arya, Subodh Uniyal and Saurabh Bahuguna come from a Congress background, while only Ganesh Joshi and Dr Dhan Singh Rawat belong to the BJP’s core ideological group.
Senior political analyst Avikal Thapliyal said Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami faces a tough road ahead.
“The biggest challenge for the CM is restructuring the cabinet with barely a year left for the 2027 polls. Between disaster management during the monsoons and the eventual implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, the window for actual work is narrow. Experienced MLAs who were once lobbying for ministries might now hesitate to take a post for such a short duration. The BJP will have to expend significant energy to neutralise the natural anti-incumbency of a ten-year rule,” Thapliyal said.