Internal Rifts Threaten BJP’s Mission Hat-Trick in Uttarakhand

New Delhi: The BJP is fighting against factionalism and anti-incumbency in Uttarakhand, where Assembly elections are scheduled to be held early next year. Sources said senior officials of the BJP are worried about bilateral issues and feel that if these issues are not addressed, they could upset the ruling party’s “Mission Hat-trick” target.

While senior officials of the BJP have received complaints about rising factionalism in the Uttarakhand unit, the main Opposition party, Congress, is busy trying to revive itself in the hill state, sources said. Amid growing concerns over reports of internal discord and anti-incumbency, BJP president Nitin Nabin toured the hilly state for three days.

During his visit to Uttarakhand on May 28, Nabin held several meetings with senior state leaders of the BJP and also Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on organizational issues and upcoming elections. The BJP president is also learned to have asked the party’s state leadership not to give the Opposition an opportunity to regroup as a tough challenge.

As senior BJP officials try to resolve factionalism, the party is likely to field many new faces and change the constituencies of many of its leaders to defeat its anti-incumbents, sources said. Sources said that despite repeated advice from senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on governance and staying connected with voters and the public, many incumbent BJP MPs are facing anti-incumbency.

According to sources, another issue that the BJP is worried about is the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttarakhand. As sources revealed, senior officials of the BJP have been receiving complaints from the state cadres and supporters about the government’s inability to control the rising crime rate in the hill state.

Dhami’s government is also under pressure from various organizations for their demands for implementation of the fifth schedule of the Constitution, which provides for special status for the protection of indigenous tribes in the state. These organizations also alleged that the BJP government has “failed” to properly implement the revised land law, which aims to prevent sale of land to non-state persons.