BJP leaves 39 seats without candidates in Panchayat polls, calls it political strategy

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun

The Bharatiya Janata Party has not announced candidates for 39 out of 358 seats in the upcoming Uttarakhand Panchayat elections, calling it a part of its political strategy. The party released a list of its supported candidates for 319 district Panchayat seats on Wednesday, leaving several areas without an official nominee. This decision caused confusion among local residents, especially in areas where multiple BJP workers were reportedly competing for party support.

The party has avoided naming supported candidates in several key districts. In Chamoli, no names were announced for six seats, while in Pauri, four seats remain without candidates. Other districts with unannounced seats include Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Dehradun (Rural), Tehri, Rishikesh, Uttarkashi, Champawat, Ranikhet, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital. Internal sources in the party suggest internal competition within the party led to the absence of candidate declarations in these areas. BJP decided not to support any one candidate to reportedly avoid dissatisfaction among other potential contenders.

Party leaders believe that whoever wins these seats will ultimately align with BJP, as most contenders are already associated with the party. However, many also speculate that many potential candidates of Panchayat elections do not want to be associated with any political party.

Responding to these speculations, the BJP’s State media in-charge Manveer Chauhan said that the decision to withhold candidate announcements on these 39 seats was deliberate and forms part of the party’s wider political plan. He expressed confidence that BJP workers will win across the State regardless of official endorsements.

According to him, the party will welcome any winning candidate who has worked in BJP’s interest, even without formal support. It appears like by taking this approach, BJP hopes to avoid internal conflict and maintain unity ahead of upcoming state elections. The move is seen as an attempt to balance competing interests within the party without risking future electoral losses.

It is pertinent to mention here that the filing of nomination for the Panchayat polls began on July 2 and will end on July 5.