Uttarakhand Congress MLA Rajkumar joins BJP
New Delhi, Sep 12: Congress MLA Rajkumar, a Dalit leader who represents Purola constituency in the Uttarakhand assembly, joined the BJP on Sunday with the saffron party asserting this is a big indication of its victory in the coming polls in the state.
Joining the BJP in the presence of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, state party president Madan Kaushik and Rajya Sabha MP from the state Anil Baluni, Rajkumar lauded the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttarakhand for ushering in infrastructure development like all-weather roads.
He also heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and claimed that while the Congress made Dalits dependent on doles the BJP has worked to make them self-reliant.
Rajkumar, who was in the BJP earlier too, praised the Modi government for providing free grains to the poor following the COVID-19 outbreak and taking other welfare measures.
Recently, independent MLA Pritam Singh Panwar had also joined the BJP as the party boosts its firepower to take on the Congress in the assembly polls in the hilly state, slated for early next year.
Pradhan praised Rajkumar as a people's leader, and said his joining the BJP is a big indication of the party's win in the polls.
Under Modi and Dhami, the BJP will win and the state will have a "double-engine" government, he said.
Baluni said Rajkumar was a big leader.
Rajkumar also lauded Baluni for his work to boost development in the hill state, and said he was also making effort in this regard.
Dhami said the MLA was a grassroots leader whose induction will help the BJP.
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Chirag Paswan reportedly demands 36 seats, BJP offers 22 amid seat-sharing talks
Bihar elections 2025
Patna: As the countdown to the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections officially begins with the notification for the first phase issued on Friday, political maneuvering has intensified within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The spotlight is currently on Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader and Union Minister Chirag Paswan, who is demanding 36 seats, even as the BJP has so far offered only 22, The New Indian Express quoted its sources as saying.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar convened a meeting of senior JD(U) leaders at his official residence, 1 Anne Marg, to finalise the list of candidates. Meanwhile, LJP chief Paswan called an emergency meeting of his party’s core team at the state office to discuss seat distribution and election preparedness.
While Paswan is reportedly pressing for 36 seats, the BJP is hesitant to concede beyond 22. A final decision is expected only after the LJP's central parliamentary board convenes in the national capital.
The JD(U), on its part, is reportedly firm on retaining constituencies held by its sitting MLAs. Chirag Paswan’s party reportedly wants to contest seats like Manhar in Vaishali, Matihani in Begusarai, and Chakai in Jamui, which are presently represented by JD(U) legislators.
On the opposition front, Congress, a major ally of the opposition INDIA bloc, has moved ahead with candidate selection, clearing 25 names for seats largely seen as traditional party bastions. The list was finalised during a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee held in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Bihar will vote in two phases, on November 6 and 11, to elect a new Assembly, with counting on November 14.
