U'khand BJP serves notice to its Raipur MLA

The Uttarakhand BJP has served a notice to its MLA Umesh Sharma Kau after an audio clip surfaced on social media in which he can purportedly be heard asking for votes for an independent candidate pitted against BJP supported nominee in Panchayat elections.

Taking cognisance of the audio clip, Pradesh BJP general secretary Rajendra Bhandari served a notice to Kau on the direction of Pradesh party president Ajay Bhatt on Sunday, seeking an explanation from him in three days.

The MLA's conduct has been viewed by the state party leadership as a breach of party discipline, Pradesh BJP media in-charge Devendra Bhasin said.

"If Kau does not offer an explanation within three days it will be assumed that he does not have anything to say on the matter," he said.

Panchayat elections are currently underway in Uttarakhand and the BJP has already expelled 90 of its workers and office bearers for breach of discipline.

Kau was among the nine Congress MLAs who rebelled against former chief minister Harish Rawat in 2016 and joined the BJP.

He had contested the last assembly polls held in 2017 as a BJP candidate and won from Raipur assembly constituency in Dehradun district.