Uttarakhand Assembly elections: Political parties fight themselves

Veteran BJP leader Harak Singh Rawat, along with his daughter-in-law Anukriti Gusain, joined the Congress

Creating Uttarakhand in 2000 was a plain-spoken act of the BJP-led government at the Centre because the step coalesced with Hindutva, the party’s worldview. But after its formation, the BJP lost power twice. Each time it was defeated in the hill state, it sent shockwaves to New Delhi and Nagpur, RSS headquarters, alike.

This time also, the BJP, the ruling party in the state, is feeling the same heat because it is facing a formidable challenge from the Congress in the February 14 Vidhan Sabha election. Both the parties have announced the names of all the 70 candidates. The BJP says