Smaller parties queer the pitch for BJP and Cong

UTTARAKHAND ELECTIONS

Amitabh Shukla

Dehradun/Hardwar, February 7

Apart from the dozen odd rebels in both the BJP and the Congress, the smaller and state parties with little stake in Uttarakhand, are set to queer the pitch for the two main contenders of power at Dehradun.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with 7 out of 70 seats in the last assembly and an impressive 10.93 percent of the votes, could upset the applecart of both the main parties in the plain areas comprising of Hardwar, Udham Singh Nagar and parts of Nainital. State party president R.K. Barman said they are fighting not to tilt the balance of power one way or the other. "We are contesting for a stake in power," he said.

The BSP has done a balancing act in the state by choosing the right caste and community for various seats. In the Brahmin and Kshatriya dominated hills, it has given tickets to 12 kshatriyas and 11 Brahmins. The Muslims figure in seven seats while its main vote base – the SC have been given party nomination in 25 seats. "We have given representation to all castes and communities," Barman adds.

The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) is the other main political outfit. Its leaders still feel that those who actually fought for statehood and faced police bullets during demonstrations, have been left out in the power structure. It won 4 seats last time and got 5.5 percent votes. State chief B.D. Raturi called for "hill oriented" governance, special scheme for those who fought for statehood and shift of Capital to Gairsain on the borders of Kumaon and Garhwal so that the historic rivalry between the two regions come to an end in the modern times.

The third important party is the Samajwadi Party, in power in Uttar Pradesh from which the state was carved out. Though it got over 6 percent votes in the last polls, it failed to open its account in the state assembly. State party chief Ambrish Kumar, contesting from Hardwar, cites the development in UP to get votes for the party. "The development of UP will be replicated in the state," he said in an election meeting in Hardwar.

With the UKD as its role model, a new outfit called Maidani Kranti Dal (MKD) has been launched on election eve to woo the voters in the plains. MKD leader Subhash Verma says people from the plains are being discriminated as those from the hills hold all the plum posts in the state. (2007)

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