Koshiyari, Khanduri make last ditch efforts for BJP victory in Kapkot

Dehradun The campaign for the Kapkot by-poll, which came to an end on Tuesday evening, saw both the BJP and the Congress fielding their top most leaders. The assembly seat has become significant as it is expected to have a major bearing in the power equation in the state and more particularly within the BJP. In the fray are Chamu Singh Ghasyal of the Congress and Sher Singh Garia of the BJP. Over the last three days the BJP’s top most leadership had been campaigning in the constituency. While the state President Bacchi Singh Rawat and former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari were flying around in a helicopter addressing public rallies at various places, state Chief Minister BC Khanduri also pitched in on Tuesday to address two public meetings at Saneti and Baghar. The seat had fallen vacant when Koshiyari, who was the sitting member, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in November last year. Despite the recent face off between the rival camps led by Koshiyari and Khanduri over the issue of a change in the leadership, the BJP had tried to put up a united face and had also tried to make up for the campaign time lost on account of the internal strife. The party campaigned on the twin issues of the development done in the area when it was represented by Koshiyari and the over all performance of the Khanduri led BJP government in the state. Besides wanting to retain its traditional stronghold, the BJP by winning Kapkot is also looking forward towards adding to its numbers in the state assembly. The party has 34 members out of 68 while Kapkot and later Vikas Nagar are to go for by-polls. It enjoys the support of three members of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) and two independents. A victory in Kapkot will boost the morale of the party cadre that has hit an all time low following a rout in the Lok Sabha polls and the subsequent round of infighting between Khanduri and Koshiyari camps. For the Congress state party President Yashpal Arya and leader of opposition in the state assembly Harak Singh Rawat were the key campaigners. The Congress is looking forward to adding a victory on this seat to the clean sweep it made in the Lok Sabha polls. Senior party leader Suryakant Dhasmana told The Indian Express, “We have campaigned on the issues of the failure of Khanduri government on all fronts and the political instability being faced by the state on account of the internal strife within the BJP.”