After Yashpal Arya, a prominent Dalit leader in the Dhami government and transport minister, returned to the Congress ahead of the 2022 Uttarakhand elections, the Congress is hoping to capitalize on his Bajpur seat in Udham Singh Nagar district, which has a large Dalit presence. Sikh population.
Following how the Channi gamble turned out in Punjab, the Congress sees Arya’s Bajpur constituency as a “great catch”, as the majority of voters in Udham Singh Nagar district are ‘Rai Sikhs’ from the Dalit community. There are about 19 percent Dalit voters in Uttarakhand.
Arya’s career spanning four decades revolved around the Congress, except that he worked for the BJP for more than four years.
“The Congress is a holy temple and I am happy to be here,” Arya said minutes after tendering his resignation as a cabinet minister. He joined the Congress with his MLA son Sanjeev representing the Nainital assembly constituency.
how to change equation
As anti-Congress sentiment strengthened ahead of the 2017 assembly elections, several prominent leaders, including Arya, quit the party, which ultimately benefited the BJP, resulting in its resounding victory. BJP got 57 or 82% seats in total. However, the massive victory somehow created a problem.
Leaders especially Arya, Harak Singh, Satpal Maharaj, Umesh Sharma, who will step into the Congress, reportedly felt “neglected” in the BJP. Some of them fought hard to adjust to the new party.
According to insiders, the freestyle politics going on in the Congress did not happen in the BJP and became a trigger point.
Amid mounting protests, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called Arya on September 25 and spoke to him over breakfast, but that doesn’t seem to stop him from changing his mind.
Dalit factor
With Charanjit Singh Channi being appointed as the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, the Congress has set a legend. Harish Rawat, in-charge of Punjab and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, had said that he “wants to see a Dalit CM in upper-caste-dominated Uttarakhand”, which could be the Congress’s plan to topple the BJP in Uttarakhand.
A senior Congress leader said he agreed that “commitments” are more important than “promises” to win the election.
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