PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Bharatiya Janata Party State president Mahendra Bhatt claimed that Congress wanted to stir up tension to disrupt peaceful polling in Nainital, which was evident during the election for the district Panchayat chairperson’s post on Thursday.
He alleged that BJP workers were assaulted and acts of hooliganism took place. Bhatt questioned how the Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya and local MLA Sumit Hridayesh had 15 elected members’ certificates in hand, stating that these should remain with the voters. He claimed that Congress, despite claiming victory in district Panchayat and block Pramukh elections, fielded candidates in only four out of 12 district Panchayat seats and seven out of 89 block chief posts, leaving most contests between BJP and independents.
Bhatt stated that Congress has been claiming that BJP used illicit and unethical tactics to put pressure on candidates to hide its defeat. He added that even after limited participation, Congress accuses BJP of using influence, which he compared to withdrawing from a match before it begins and then blaming the opposing team for playing more.
According to Bhatt, Congress anticipated difficulty in facing public verdict in view of the State government’s work under chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and chose to comment from outside the contest. He stated that Congress must begin accepting its defeats and draw lessons from its mistakes, instead of consistently alleging foul play during every election in the State.
