News Analysis India

Tag: Uttarakhand

  • Death toll due to rainfall rises to 52 in Uttarakhand; rain fury in Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and Sikkim

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Six more bodies were recovered on Wednesday in rain-battered Uttarakhand, taking the death toll to 52 in the Himalayan state, while Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, and areas of north Bengal were also pounded by torrential rainfall that caused landslides and led to closure of National Highway 10, the main road linking Gangtok with the rest of the country.

    Three people were killed and hundreds marooned as heavy rains lashed Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly and Pilibhit districts over the last two days.

    In Uttarakhand, 17 people were injured and five went missing in rain-related incidents.

    The official count of missing people does not include a trekking team of 11, who left Uttarkashi but did not reach their destination Chitkul in Himachal Pradesh, and three porters who went missing while accompanying an ITBP patrol near the India-China border.

    ALSO READ: Situation still serious in flood-hit Uttarakhand, says Rahul Gandhi

    The Kumaon region of the state, which has been worst affected by the rainfall, also reported cases of 46 houses being damaged.

    With 28 deaths, Nainital alone has accounted for the highest number of fatalities.

    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami extended his tour of the affected areas of Udham Singh Nagar and Champawat districts in Kumaon to take stock of the situation.

    He travelled by road as his helicopter could not take off from Haldwani due to technical reasons.

    Accompanied by Union Minister of State for Defence and Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt and State Disaster Management Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Dhami, on board a tractor, crossed vast stretches of marooned fields in Udham Singh Nagar district and assessed the damage to crops.

    ALSO READ: Rain-hit Uttarakhand stares at damages beyond repair

    He also trudged through the streets of Champawat to get a first-hand assessment of the damage inflicted by nearly three days of incessant rains.

    Home Minister Amit Shah is also likely to arrive in the state late on Wednesday night to review the situation.

    He may also undertake an aerial survey of the affected areas on Thursday morning, officials said.

    The weather cleared across Uttarakhand on Wednesday, giving momentum to rescue operations and leading to the partial resumption of the Chardham Yatra, with pilgrims allowed to proceed to Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri.

    However, the yatra to Badrinath could not be resumed as the national highway leading to the temple was blocked by landslide at several points.

    ALSO READ: Experts explain what is causing heavy rains that killed dozens in Uttarakhand, Kerala over few days

    Water has receded completely from the streets of Nainital, which was cut off from the rest of the state on Monday, with the Naini lake flooding the roads and landslides choking them at various points.

    Life returned to normal in Nainital on Wednesday morning as tourists were found shopping and taxis plying through the town.

    Electricity and telephone connectivity which had been badly hit in Nainital by incessant rains has been restored.

    Villages on the outskirts of the town are still going without electricity and telephone connectivity.

    Haldwani and Kaladhungi roads have been opened partially to traffic restoring connectivity to Nainital.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand government to give Rs 4 lakh to kin of those killed in rain-related incidents

    The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said it has rescued over 1,300 people from flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand.

    The federal force has deployed 17 rescue teams in the state.

    Torrential rains pounded the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim and the tea growing region of North Bengal, causing landslides which cut off National Highway-10.

    Normal life in parts of north Bengal was affected due to heavy showers in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts that triggered landslides, causing damages to roads and bridges, halting or constricting traffic in various places.

    As the downpour continued, 3,800 cusec water was released from Bengal’s Gajaoldoba Teesta Barrage, causing inundation in several parts of the low lying town of Jalpaiguri.

    ALSO READ: Over 300 people rescued from flood-affected Uttarakhand – NDRF

    Water from the overflowing Teesta also submerged National Highway 10 that connects Siliguri with Sikkim’s capital Gangtok at Teesta Bazar area, restricting traffic.

    The Meteorological Department issued a ‘red’ alert for Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Alipurduar, forecasting “extremely heavy rain at one or two places” in these districts till Thursday morning.

    Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain during the period, it said.

    Several low-lying areas in Jalpaiguri district have been flooded owing to a rise in the water level of Teesta and Jaldhaka rivers.

    People from these areas were being moved to safe places for shelter.

    WATCH VIDEO: River washes away under-construction bridge as rains cause havoc in Uttarakhand

    Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday visited the flood-affected areas in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur and distributed relief material among the people.

    Instead of an aerial survey, Naqvi undertook a ground survey and even got on a boat to reach far-flung areas inundated due to the massive rains that have wreaked havoc in adjoining Uttarakhand.

    In Uttar Pradesh, around 500 villagers in Pilibhit are trapped in the flood water of the Sharda river.

    A couple in Bareilly’s Faridpur township and a nine-year-old boy in Ram Nagar area were killed after their houses collapsed because of heavy rains.

    The IMD, which had sounded an orange alert (heavy to very heavy rain) for 11 districts of Kerela on Wednesday withdrew it and changed it to yellow predicting ‘moderate rain’ in these areas.

  • Rains batter Uttarakhand as 42 more die, Uttar Pradesh sees four fatalities; Kerala dams open gates

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Uttarakhand reported at least 42 rain-related deaths on Tuesday with many people still trapped under the rubble after landslides, while Uttar Pradesh witnessed four fatalities, even as heavy downpour in Kerala filled several dams to the brim and multiple districts were on alert.

    In view of the incessant rains, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated his appeal to Chardham yatris to stay where they are and not to resume their journeys before the weather improved.

    “The number of casualties in Kumaon region alone has crossed 40,” DIG Nilesh Anand Bharne told PTI.

    With 42 new fatalities in the Kumaon region, the death toll in the disaster has risen to 47 as five deaths were reported on Monday.

    Of the 42 fresh deaths, 28 people were killed in Nainital district, six each in Almora and Champawat and one each in Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar districts, the official said.

    ALSO READ: Experts explain what is causing heavy rains that killed dozens in Uttarakhand, Kerala over few days

    The connectivity to Nainital was restored in the evening after hours of struggle amid inclement weather, officials said.

    Chief Minister Dhami undertook an aerial survey of the rain-hit areas and later interacted with the affected people on ground zero to make an assessment of the damages caused.

    He announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in rain-related incidents across the state over the last two days.

    Director General of Uttarakhand Police Ashok Kumar, who accompanied Chief Minister Dhami on a visit to the rain-hit areas of the Kumaon region, said roads, bridges and railway tracks have been damaged in Kathgodam and Lalkuan in Nainital and Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand government to give Rs 4 lakh to kin of those killed in rain-related incidents

    It will take at least four-five days to repair the damaged tracks, Kumar told PTI.

    Three Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters have arrived in the state and are assisting in relief and rescue operations.

    Two of them have been deployed in Nainital district, which has suffered extensive damage due to cloudbursts and landslides, Dhami said.

    According to a rough estimate, around 100 pilgrims from different parts of Gujarat who had gone to Uttarakhand for the Chardham Yatra were stranded following heavy rains and landslides, Gujarat Revenue Minister Rajendra Trivedi said.

    The National Disaster Response Force has rescued over 300 people from flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand, the federal force said on Tuesday.

    ALSO READ: Over 300 people rescued from flood-affected Uttarakhand – NDRF

    The NDRF has deployed 15 teams in the state.

    Rainfall was reported from other parts of the country as well including Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, according to the IMD, which forecast an intense spell of rain over east and northeast till Wednesday, and south peninsular region during the next four-five days.

    Authorities in the national capital said Prof Joginder Singh Marg in the western part of the city had been closed after the road caved in.

    A 35-year-old woman and her mother-in-law died in Uttar Pradesh’s Fathepur after a wall of their house collapsed following heavy rains.

    In Bareilly, also in UP, two labourers died of electrocution in Bisalpur road after coming in contact with a solar panel following heavy rains, police said.

    WATCH VIDEO: River washes away under-construction bridge as rains cause havoc in Uttarakhand

    In West Bengal, the Met department said heavy rainfall is very likely to continue till Thursday morning even as the low-pressure system that developed over the Gangetic Basin in the southern part of the state moved to Bihar, parts of which received heavy rains during the day.

    The weatherman warned of extremely heavy rainfall over Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Alipurduar till Wednesday morning and downpour till Thursday over all sub-Himalayan districts.

    The IMD forecast more rain on Wednesday in Odisha, which has already been battered by low-pressure area-induced downpour for the last three days.

    Fishermen were advised not to venture into the Bay of Bengal for the next 48 hours.

    Down south in Kerala, after a relative respite of two days, the IMD Tuesday issued an Orange Alert for 11 districts of Kerala indicating heavy rainfall.

    The weatherman has put 12 districts in the state on Orange alert on Thursday also.

    The IMD sounded an Orange alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts on October 20.

    An Orange alert has been issued for all districts other than Kannur and Kasaragod on October 21.

    Idukki, Idamalayar, Pamba and Kakki, four major dams among the total 78 dams in the state have been opened to release the excess water.

    Shutters of Cheruthoni dam, part of the Idukki reservoir in Kerala, were opened on Tuesday to create more storage capacity in anticipation of the heavy rainfall predicted in its catchment area over the next two days.

    Various district administrations have issued alerts to the people living downstream and shifted them to relief camps set up in the state.

    The IMD said a low-pressure area lies over Bihar and neighbourhood.

    Also due to strong southerly/southeasterly winds from Bay of Bengal, a heavy spell of rainfall activity is very likely to continue over east and northeast India till October 20.

  • Experts explain what is causing heavy rains that killed dozens in Uttarakhand, Kerala over few days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A confluence of cyclonic storms forming in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea is among the biggest reasons behind heavy rains in different parts of the country over the past few days that have claimed dozens of lives in Uttarakhand, Kerala and other states, experts said on Tuesday.

    Climate experts also warn the intensity of rains in Kerala and Uttarakhand is “alarming” and must draw immediate attention towards “climate emergency”.

    “The latest rains in Kerala are a result of a normal climatic event called retreating monsoon that happens every year. However, the intensity of rains there and in Uttarakhand is alarming and must draw our attention to the severity of climate emergency.

    “We have seen a steady rise in the number of adverse climatic events over the past few years and as a tropical country, I believe it is time India takes solid steps to help meet the climate targets as events since the past few years and this trend seems to be getting worsened,” said Kamal Narayan Omer, CEO, Integrated Health and Wellbeing Council (IHW Council).

    Ishteyaque Ahmed, Senior Climate Campaigner, Greenpeace India, said these rains were a consequence of the cyclonic storms from the east and the west and can lead to huge environmental losses and derail food security of the country.

    “Rising oceanic temperatures can strengthen otherwise weak cyclones and make them deadlier than expected. India is facing this crisis from three sides. In the last few days cyclonic storms are continuously forming in the Bay of Bengal as well as in the Arabian Sea.

    “The confluence of such eastern and western storms is among the biggest causes of such disastrous rains in different parts of the country. These untimely erratic rains, responsible for big human and environmental losses can derail the food and nutritional security initiatives of the country, which is already at the brink of a major food and nutrition crisis,” Ahmed said.

    He also said that more such extreme weather events can occur in the future.

    “In a transitional phase, it is next to impossible to predict for the future, but seemingly rising oceanic temperatures and destruction of floral and faunal aquatic lives, more frequent and frightening extreme weather events cannot be ruled out,” he said.

    According to V Vinoj, Assistant Professor, IIT Bhubaneswar, states and the country as whole need to be “climate smart”.

    He suggested specific warning system to be installed to tackle the climate situation better.

    “It is now well-known that anthropogenic climate change will lead to extreme weather patterns. Therefore, it is now imperative that their impacts on life and property are minimised by following locally relevant adaptation measures. In parallel, efforts on mitigation efforts should be hastened so as to slow climate change.

    “A specific warming system taking in to consideration the local vulnerabilities will go a long way in saving lives. In addition, adaptation measures, again taking climate resilience as the central issue will be beneficial in the long run. In summary, our country, states and cities should be climate smart,” he said.

    Incessant rains have claimed at least 28 lives in Uttarakhand in the last two days, razing houses to the ground and leaving many trapped in the debris.

    Nainital was cut off from the rest of the state with three roads leading to the popular tourist spot blocked due to a series of landslides.

    Landslides have blocked the exits in the town and electricity, telecom and internet connectivity in Nainital district was also hit badly.

    The death toll in incidents related to heavy rains, including landslides and flash floods in Kerala rose to 27 on Monday.

    Meanwhile, a red alert has been issued for 11 dams across Kerala as water levels have breached the danger mark in several areas.

    Heavy rains are again expected in the state between October 20 and 24.

  • Uttarakhand government to give Rs 4 lakh to kin of those killed in rain-related incidents

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met people affected by heavy rainfall in Kumaon and Garhwal regions of the state on Tuesday and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those who had lost their lives in the disaster.

    Twenty-three people were killed in Uttarakhand and eight went missing on Tuesday mostly in Nainital district as incessant rains continued to lash various parts of the state, especially the Kumaon region, razing houses to the ground and leaving many trapped in the debris.

    With 23 deaths reported on Tuesday, the toll in rain-related incidents across Uttarakhand since Monday has risen to 28.

    Five casualties had been reported on Monday, the State Emergency Operation Centre here said.

    Dhami, who undertook an aerial survey of the affected areas besides interacting with the disaster-affected people in Rudraprayag, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar district, said people need to have patience in this hour of crisis.

    All necessary arrangements are being made by the state government, he said, adding that there was no need to panic.

    The crisis can be overcome with the cooperation of all, he said.

    Disaster Management Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, DGP Ashok Kumar, Rudrapur MLA Rajkumar Thukral and senior officials were with the chief minister when he met the affected people in Rudrapur and Kichcha in Udham Singh Nagar district.

  • Over 300 people rescued from flood-affected Uttarakhand: NDRF

    The Kumaon region of the hill state has been severely hit by heavy rains, leading to razing of houses and leaving many trapped in the debris.

  • Bhupendra Patel asks Uttarakhand CM to help Gujarat pilgrims stranded due to bad weather

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel spoke to his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday regarding Gujarati pilgrims stuck in the northern state following incessant rains there and urged him to extend all possible help to the visitors.

    As per a rough estimate, around 100 pilgrims from different parts of Gujarat, who went to Uttarakhand for the Chardham Yatra, were stranded following heavy rains and landslides there, Gujarat Revenue Minister Rajendra Trivedi said.

    Gujarat CM Patel spoke to Dhami over phone and urged him to provide necessary help to the stranded pilgrims from Gujarat.

    The CM also asked officials to start contacting the stranded people, an official release said.

    Following Patel’s instructions, the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) issued a helpline number – 07923251900 – to collect and share information about the stranded pilgrims, it said.

    ALSO READ | Uttarakhand rains: Around 100 people stranded in resort, rescue ops underway, says DGP

    About 80 to 100 pilgrims from Gujarat are currently stuck in different parts of Uttarakhand due to heavy rains and bad weather, Trivedi said.

    “Out of them, six are stuck at a considerable height near the Kedarnath temple. However, they are not in any danger. Others are currently staying in hotels in other places such as Joshimath. At present, all the stranded pilgrims are safe, including those six,” he said.

    While the weather is now getting better, several roads are closed due to landslides, the minister noted.

    “We are in contact with the Uttarakhand government to airlift those six pilgrims. It is not possible at present because of the rough weather. They will be rescued using a helicopter once the weather improves,” Trivedi said.

    Among those stuck in Uttarakhand included a group of 18 people from Rajkot, six persons from Maninagar area of Ahmedabad and six youths from Thaltej area of the city.

    WATCH | River washes away under-construction bridge as rains cause havoc in Uttarakhand

    One of the stranded persons from Rajkot, Mahesh Sorathiya, in a video message said, “We are a group of 18 pilgrims from Rajkot who are on the Chardham Yatra.

    Due to bad weather, we have been stuck in a hotel in Netala area on Gangotri road for last two days. Luckily, we all are safe here. We are waiting for the weather to clear so that we can begin our journey.”

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to CM Dhami to take stock of the situation in Uttarakhand.

    Five people, including three labourers from Nepal, were killed and two others were injured in rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand on Monday.

    The Uttarakhand authorities have advised Chardham pilgrims not to proceed to the Himalayan temples till the weather improves.

  • Heavy rains lash several parts of India, five killed in Uttarakhand; red alert for 10 dams in Kerala

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Heavy rains on Monday lashed several parts of north India, including Uttarakhand, where five people were killed in rain-related incidents, while a red alert for 10 dams was issued in Kerala due to incessant downpour in the southern state.

    In Delhi, the month of October this year has been the wettest since 1960, when the city had recorded 93.4 mm of rainfall, according to data shared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

    Heavy rainfall also lashed several parts of Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.

    Due to heavy downpour, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan postponed his campaign tour to Khandwa for the upcoming Lok Sabha bypoll there, while in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s rally had to be cancelled in Budhana town as the venue was submerged in rainwater.

    Authorities in Uttarakhand advised Chardham pilgrims, who arrived in Haridwar and Rishikesh by Sunday, not to proceed to the Himalayan temples till the weather improves.

    Five people, including three labourers from Nepal, were killed and two others injured in rain-related incidents in the state.

    The labourers were staying in a tent at Samkhal near Lansdowne in Pauri district when rubble flowing down from a field above due to the rains buried them alive, District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande said, adding that the injured were admitted to the Kotdwar base hospital.

    In Selkhola in Champawat district, two people were killed when their house collapsed, following a landslide, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.

    Passenger vehicles are not being allowed to cross the Chandrabhaga bridge, Tapovan, Lakshman Jhoola and Muni-ki-Reti Bhadrakali barriers in Rishikesh.

    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the state disaster control room at the secretariat in Dehradun to take weather updates and know the conditions of roads and highways.

    In Kerala, where heavy rains have claimed 22 lives till Sunday, water levels are rising in the catchment areas.

    A red alert was issued in respect of 10 dams in Kerala, two shutters of Kakki dam in Pathanamthitta were opened and pilgrimage to Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala has been put on hold for now, state Revenue Minister K Rajan said.

    After a review meeting held at the Pathanamthitta district collectorate to assess the situation, Rajan and state Health Minister Veena George said that it has been decided to open the Kakki dam to release around 100-200 cumex water, which would increase the water level of Pampa river by around 15 centimetres.

    They said the decision was taken in view of the water level in the dam increasing beyond the danger levels and also taking into consideration the heavy rains expected from October 20, which might worsen the situation if some water is not released now.

    In view of the expected worsening of the weather from October 20 till 24, according to IMD information, they said it would not be possible to permit pilgrimage to the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala for the Thula Masam poojas for which the shrine had been opened from October 16.

    Heavy rains lashed Delhi, leading to traffic snarls and waterlogging at several places in the city.

    The minimum temperature settled at 23.9 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season’s average.

    Delhi recorded 87.9 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am on Sunday and 8.30 am on Monday.

    In the city this year, 94.6 mm of rainfall has already been recorded in October.

    On Sunday, Delhi recorded 87.9 mm of rainfall, the fourth highest in a day, according to data.

    A link road from National Highway-05 to Moorang was blocked due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh Kinnaur district at Khogpa Nullah in Moorang Tehsil, a disaster management official said.

    In Madhya Pradesh, almost the entire state received post-monsoon showers in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am.

    More rains are likely over the next couple of days in the state, P K Saha, senior meteorologist at the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Bhopal office, told PTI.

    Chief Minister Chouhan postponed his Monday visit to Khandwa due to the inclement weather, an official from Chief Minister’s Office said, adding that the overnight rains caused slush at the venue where Chouhan was supposed to address public meetings.

    Incessant rains with one or two spells of heavy downpour caused by a low pressure system affected normal life in several parts of West Bengal, including Kolkata.

    The Meteorological (MeT) Department has forecast heavy rainfall in all the districts of south Bengal, where inclement weather prevailed on Monday and Tuesday.

    In Uttar Pradesh, districts like Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat and Meerut have received heavy rainfall since Sunday morning, which has led to waterlogging and electricity supply disruption in several parts of these districts.

    Rajasthan also witnessed light to moderate rainfall at many places, while isolated areas received heavy rain during the last 24 hours, the MeT Department said.

    Odisha braced for heavy rain as a low-pressure area (Lopar) formed over the Gangetic West Bengal.

    Fisherfolk have been advised not to venture into deep sea off the Odisha coast till Tuesday as squally weather with wind speed of 40-50 kmph and gusting up to 60 kmph is likely over north Bay of Bengal.

    It issued an orange alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places over Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts till 8.30 am of Tuesday.

  • Uttarakhand achieves target of 100 per cent first dose COVID vaccination: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand has administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to its entire eligible population three months ahead of target, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Sunday.

    He told a press conference here that a total of 74 lakh people or 100 per cent of the eligible population across the state have been administered with the first dose of the vaccine against coronavirus.

    Claiming that the target has been achieved three months in advance, the chief minister thanked all government, private and voluntary agencies involved in the exercise.

    He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the supply of vaccine doses to the state from August onwards.

    Also, as many as 34.68 lakh people in the state have been administered with the second dose, he said.

    The chief minister also appealed to people who had taken the first dose to get their second dose on time.

    He also said the process of inoculating people under 18 years will also begin as soon as permission for this is received.

  • Uttarakhand: 60 former Congress rebels bargain with BJP amid talks of ‘ghar-wapsi’

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: Amid talks of at least 60 former Congress leaders returning to the grand old party, Uttarakhand cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat and BJP MLA Umesh Sharma ‘Kau’ met the saffron party’s chief, JP Nadda, on Saturday in Delhi.

    Both leaders were among the nine rebel Congress MLAs and ministers who had jumped to the BJP in 2016.  Interestingly, both the leaders were in the same flight with the leader of opposition, Pritam Singh, who was also travelling to Delhi to attend a meeting of the Congress Working Committee. “There are speculations of big responsibility to Harak Singh Rawat and perks to Kau as well as other rebels. The party does not want another embarrassment,” said a party insider from Uttarakhand BJP.

    Anil Baluni, Rajya Sabha MP and national chief spokesperson of the BJP, was also present in the meeting. This comes after Yashpal Arya rejoined the Congress with his son Sanjiv in the last week. Arya had left the Congress for the BJP in January 2017. The duo won the elections in 2017 and the Yashpal was inducted as cabinet minister in the BJP government.

    Dehradun-based political analyst Jay Singh Rawat said: “With Yashpal Arya and his son Sanjiv having returned to the Congress, the BJP is on alert mode. The ‘rebels’ see this as a perfect opportunity to negotiate. Harak Singh Rawat is the one who is known for voicing his dissent frequently. He and others are trying to squeeze the BJP as much as they can.”

    Meanwhile, Uttarakhand unit of the Congress plans to re-admit at least 60 leaders who had either left the party or were expelled for various reasons. The party has formed a committee to oversee the  ghar wapsi of those who were either expelled or voluntarily left the party in last five-six years.

    The names of these leaders or members, numbering more than 100, are likely to be announced around October 20. 

  • Uttarakhand BJP MLA denies plan to join Congress, insiders point at plum post

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand BJP MLA Umesh Sharma ‘Kau’, whom the party reportedly managed to stop from joining the Congress, has claimed he was in Delhi to persuade Yashpal and Sanjiv Arya not to return to the grand old party.

    “I was in Delhi on the same day Arya re-joined the Congress to convince him otherwise. Senior leaders know where I was, doing what. Rumours of me joining the Congress are baseless,” said the MLA from Raipur. Kau is one of the nine Congress rebel MLAs who had switched to the BJP in 2016. 

    His claim was supported by the BJP state leadership. “He was doing his bit and we know about it. He has been given a task which he tried to accomplish,” said BJP’s Uttarakhand chief Madan Kaushik. Party sources claimed Kau was prevented with the promise of a plum post. “He was promised the slot vacated by Arya,” said a BJP insider. 

    Kau also claimed that three senior ministers, including Arya, did not want to take oath when Pushkar Singh Dhami was chosen as chief minister in July. Meanwhile, Arya announced to contest the 2022 elections from Bajpur. However, speculations are rife about his son Sanjiv, who is MLA from Nainital. Sarita Arya, state president of the Congress women’s wing, has threatened to leave the party if it fields Sanjiv.