DEHRADUN: Factionalism in the party and internal sabotage are to be blamed for the defeat of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami from Khatima seat in the recent Assembly elections, the BJP has concluded.
The party had decided to "introspect and analyse" the reasons behind its defeat on 23 seats in the state, including Khatima. "The committee visited the constituency from where the CM contested and lost by over 6,900 votes. Its members concluded that the CM lost due to internal sabotage. Further inquiry will be conducted to find out the people responsible," said a party insider.
The party has also decided to investigate the reasons for reduced vote share compared to 2017. BJP national general secretary BL Santosh is likely to visit Uttarakhand soon to hold meetings on the matter.
The constituencies which will get special attention include Khatima and Piran Kaliyar, where the party candidate lost deposit, and other seats where the margin of defeat was below 3,000. BJP sources said the exercise could lead to weeding out of some members who are suspected to have helped the rivals.
In the 2017 elections, the BJP had garnered 46.51 per cent votes with 57 seats while this time, it bagged 44.34 per cent votes and 47 seats. Despite Dhami's loss, the Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership decided to retain him as CM after the party secured 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly, beating the trend of no party returning to power for a second straight term. Six MLAs of the party have shown willingness to vacate their seats for Dhami to contest.
When Dhami was chosen chief minister in July last year, many seniors in the party including Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat, Yashpal Arya and Bishan Singh Chuphal were reportedly unhappy.
Party trust in CM's leadership
Despite Pushkar Singh Dhami's loss, the Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership decided to retain him as Uttarakhand CM after the party secured 48 seats in the 70-member Assembly, beating the trend of no party returning to power for a second straight term.