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Khanduri’s fate sealed, BJP MLAs to choose successor

B.C. Khanduri

NEW DELHI: It is almost certain that the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Maj. Gen (retired) B.C. Khanduri, will be replaced soon, and a decision may well be taken at a meeting between BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior leader L.K. Advani here on Thursday.

The BJP central leadership is also veering round to the view that when the Chief Minister is replaced, the party should allow the MLAs to express their views on who should lead the government. “When Maj. Gen. Khanduri was elected leader of the Legislature Party, he had the support of only two of the 33 BJP MLAs,” a senior leader pointed out. “This time the central leadership is not inclined to impose its view on the Legislature Party.”

One plan is to send Central observers to Dehra Dun to ascertain the views of the MLAs. Thereafter, a final decision will be taken here and the formality of electing a new leader will be completed by the Legislature Party.

Party sources indicated that at Thursday’s meeting, Maj. Gen. Khanduri’s fate may well be sealed. “We cannot keep the issue hanging,” it was said.

The front runner for the top job is the former Chief Minister, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, who is believed to have overwhelming support in the Legislature Party. It seems that the inaccessibility of the current Chief Minister and his “military style functioning” have led to disenchantment within the party and among the people. Another source of worry for the party is that it is just short of a majority in the Assembly with an effective strength of 68.

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Khanduri’s fate sealed, BJP MLAs to choose successor

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