In Pauri, stage set for likely battle between Khanduri’s son and political disciple

  • | Friday | 22nd March, 2019

But the campaign has become a contest between ‘Khanduri’s son and Khanduri’s disciple’ which is not appealing to many,” Manjit Negi, a resident of Kotdwar, said. “All eyes will be on Khanduri’s son and how much he talks about his father’s removal from the Parliament’s defence committee. But it remains to be seen who gains from BC Khanduri’s political capital.”Both Manish and Rawat claim they have the blessings of Khanduri senior. Dehradun: Even before the Lok Sabha campaign reaches a feverish pitch, the slogan ‘Khanduri hai zaroori’ (which was in vogue in earlier polls when former CM Maj Gen (retd) BC Khanduri was seen as being essential for BJP’s political fortunes) is reverberating again in the Pauri seat. If he goes after the BJP, it will create a load of tension for the party,” said political analyst Udit Ghildiyal.Meanwhile, residents of the area say they are not too pleased with the focus of the campaign turning into an attempt to capture Khanduri senior’s legacy.“People of Pauri want development, solutions to migration and jobs.

Dehradun: Even before the Lok Sabha campaign reaches a feverish pitch, the slogan ‘Khanduri hai zaroori’ (which was in vogue in earlier polls when former CM Maj Gen (retd) BC Khanduri was seen as being essential for BJP’s political fortunes) is reverberating again in the Pauri seat. The constituency is likely to see both the BJP and Congress candidates battle it out over the political legacy of BC Khanduri who currently represents the seat.Manish Khanduri, BC Khanduri’s son, who joined Congress recently is likely to get the party’s ticket to take on Tirath Singh Rawat, the BJP candidate, who stakes claim as the political disciple of BC Khanduri, and, consequently, a legatee to the enormous political capital that Khanduri senior commands in the region.Arvind Mudgil, a former naval officer and political watcher, told TOI, “The old poll battle cry, ‘Khanduri hai zaroori’ has come back to the hustings with both the Congress and the BJP invoking it to win the Pauri seat. But it remains to be seen who gains from BC Khanduri’s political capital.”Both Manish and Rawat claim they have the blessings of Khanduri senior. While Manish had claimed this soon after joining the Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi at the latter’s rally in Dehradun, Rawat told TOI that “Khanduri ji is my political guru and being a sitting BJP MP, he will support me in the party campaign.”Already, Rawat has begun talking about the work Khanduri senior has done both as the chief minister of Uttarakhand and as Union minister in the previous NDA government.Political observers say if the Congress manages to build the narrative as Khanduri versus Modi, the Pauri seat could see a very interesting contest. “All eyes will be on Khanduri’s son and how much he talks about his father’s removal from the Parliament’s defence committee. If he goes after the BJP, it will create a load of tension for the party,” said political analyst Udit Ghildiyal.Meanwhile, residents of the area say they are not too pleased with the focus of the campaign turning into an attempt to capture Khanduri senior’s legacy.“People of Pauri want development, solutions to migration and jobs. But the campaign has become a contest between ‘Khanduri’s son and Khanduri’s disciple’ which is not appealing to many,” Manjit Negi, a resident of Kotdwar, said.

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