Dehradun
Ahead of the urban local body elections in Uttarakhand, several senior party leaders, including Congress state unit vice president Mathura Dutt Joshi, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It is being told that Joshi was unhappy after the party high command did not give ticket to his wife for the mayor seat in Pithoragarh.
Other leaders who joined the BJP include former Congress state unit vice-president Bittu Karnataka and two-time district panchayat president Jagat Singh Khati. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and BJP state unit president Mahendra Bhatt inaugurated the party’s state unit here on Saturday. The leaders in the office were welcomed into the ruling party. Describing the leaders who left Congress and joined BJP as hardworking and capable people, Dhami expressed confidence that BJP will get the benefit of their experience in the civic elections. The Chief Minister said that there is no respect for capable and good people in Congress. The leaders who left Congress and joined BJP said that Congress is not giving proper respect to the dedicated workers. Joshi said that he joined BJP because Congress has no respect for honest workers.
He said, “I worked with complete honesty in Congress but there is no respect for all this in the party. That’s why I have taken membership of BJP. I will continue to serve the party with full devotion throughout my life.” Urban local body elections in Uttarakhand are to be held on January 23.
