Anna's hunger strike jolts Uttarakhand's ruling BJP

The after-shocks of the Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption are being felt in Uttarakhand’s ruling BJP ahead of the Assembly elections.

In what is being seen as a setback to chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, senior BJP leader and former tourism minister Lt Gen (retd) T P S Rawat has quit the saffron party citing a series of corruption scandals swirling around the government.

Hours after he quit BJP , Rawat was expelled from from the party for six years last night. The move has, however, brought back focus on former chief minister B C Khanduri, who is actively participating in anti-corruption rallies in the state these days. Speculation is rife that Khanduri may head the third front in the next Assembly elections. Though Khanduri had denied the move, his supporters claimed that Rawat's decision to quit BJP has cleared the decks for the formation of a third front with the support of Uttarakhand Kranti Da, a regional party.

Along with Rawat, a couple of other party leaders like Rajendra Singh Bhandari have also decided to quit BJP. "TPS Rawat has quit BJP at a time when the Assembly elections are just few months away. Certainly, it is a big setback for us," said a senior BJP leader here.

Rawat, who has formed the ‘Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha’, comprising ex-army officers, against corruption, said he would work for the active formation of the third front.

Rawat is a close associate of Khanduri, who was instrumental in bringing him to BJP fold from Congress after BJP's victory in the 2008 Assembly elections. In 2008, Khanduri swapped his Pauri-Garhwal seat with Rawat who was the then MLA from Dhumakot.

'We are actively working for the formation of third front. We are getting big support from both Garhwal and Kumaon regions," said Rawat. He has also convened a series of public rallies of the morcha to drum up public support apparently in the run up to the elections.