DEHRADUN: In a significant develipment that could reshape the electoral landscape for the 2027 Uttarakhand assembly elections. six prominent BJP leaders joined the Congress on Saturday.
The six leaders, including three former MLAs, a former mayor and former municipal council presidents, joined the Congress at the party's headquarters at 24 Akbar Road In New Delhi. The event was attended by AICC state in-charge Kumari Selja and state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal.
The defectors include former MLAs Rajkumar Thukral, Narayan Pal and Bhimlal Arya, along with former Roorkee Municipal Council president Gaurav Goyal, former Mussoorie Municipal Council president Anuj Gupta, and political leader Lakhan Singh Negi.
For the Congress, which has been out of power for the past nine years, the mass defection comes as a major morale booster. The party leadership believes the development signals growing discontent within the BJP ranks and a shift in political momentum.
Commenting on the timing, Kumari Selja alleged that the recent expansion of the Dhami cabinet was a reactive move driven by apprehension.
“The Dhami government hastily expanded its cabinet because it knew several leaders were about to join the Congress. They were trying to prevent a larger exodus and limit potential damage. The BJP is clearly on the back foot, while the Congress is actively fighting for public issues both on the streets and in the Assembly,” she said.
The BJP, however, dismissed the development as insignificant, claiming that those who joined the Congress had already been expelled from the party.
State BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt criticised the opposition, calling the move a desperate attempt to find viable candidates for the 2027 polls.
“The Congress is trying to field people who have already been rejected by us. Their inclusion only reflects our confidence that a third consecutive victory is inevitable in 2027,” Bhatt said.
He also took a swipe at the Congress leadership, alleging weak organisational presence in the state.
Meanwhile, the mood at the Congress headquarters in Dehradun was celebratory, with party workers welcoming the new entrants. Congress state spokesperson, Sheeshpal Bisht, described the development as the beginning of a larger trend.
“The growing public support for Congress has encouraged these leaders to join us. People are becoming disillusioned with the BJP’s policies, and even its leaders are losing faith in the party,” he said.
Bisht added that this was “only the first batch” and hinted at more high-profile inductions in the coming weeks, as Uttarakhand heads towards the next electoral cycle.