Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun
BJP’s worry
The findings of an internal survey which claims that 32 incumbent MLAs of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the Himalayan State are on a loose ground has created deep discomfiture for these MLAs which include some cabinet ministers. It is learnt that based on the findings of the survey, the saffron party is planning to deprive many MLAs from its ticket in Vidhan Sabha election of 2027. Speculations are also rife that the central leadership of the party is contemplating to replace the State party president Mahendra Bhatt. The names of former chief minister and union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Dharampur MLA Vinod Chamoli are making rounds as possible replacements for Bhatt. Incidentally, both these leaders are Brahmins and belong to the Garhwal region of the State where the BJP registered emphatic victory in the last two Vidhan Sabha elections and where the survey report finds that the anti-incumbency factor is more pronounced this time. A possible cabinet reshuffle is also said to be on the cards where a couple of ministers (who are said to be among these 32 MLAs) can be replaced.
Harak’s choice
The maverick of Uttarakhand politics, Harak Singh Rawat is continuing to baffle his political opponents and leaders of State Congress by creating confusion on his choice of constituency for the Vidhan Sabha elections of 2027. Rawat had recently stated that he is interested in contesting from either Sahaspur in Dehradun or Chaubattakhal in Pauri in the next year’s Vidhan Sabha polls. Not long ago, he had said that people of Kotdwar, Yamkeshwar and many other constituencies of Garhwal are sending invitations to him to contest from their constituencies. This move of Harak over the choice of his constituency has created an atmosphere of confusion in the State Congress and leaders who are preparing to contest from these constituencies. Those versed with the style of the politics of the mercurial leader point out that Harak wants to send a clear message to the party leadership that he still holds a great sway in politically important Garhwal region which has a lion’s share in the 70 member Uttarakhand assembly and in the process buttress his claim on the post of chief minister in the eventuality of Congress coming to the power in 2027.
Fee fiasco
Ahead of the process of counselling for allotment of seats in the medical colleges based on the NEET-2026 score, the private medical colleges of Uttarakhand have again hiked their fees. This steep increase of about Rs three lakh in tuition fee alone has made things difficult for many parents planning to get their wards admitted in these colleges. The restraint on the private medical colleges for deciding their fee was removed to a large extent with the passage of Uttarakhand Private University Act 2023 in the State assembly which made them despotic on the sensitive issue of fee fixation. However, the new law mandates that the fees determined by the board of management shall be valid for a period of three consecutive years but in violation of this regulation, the private universities offering MBBS courses are continuing to increase their fees every year.
