In a blow to the Congress ahead of the urban local body elections in Uttarakhand, several senior party leaders, including state unit vice president Mathura Dutt Joshi, joined the BJP.
It is being said about Joshi that he was angry with the party high command not giving ticket to his wife for the post of mayor in Pithoragarh.
Other leaders joining the BJP are former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) vice-president Bittu Karnataka and two-time former district panchayat president Jagat Singh Khati. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and state BJP President Mahendra Bhatt welcomed the leaders into the saffron party at the party’s state office on Saturday.
Describing the leaders who left the party as hardworking and capable people, Dhami expressed confidence that BJP will benefit from their energy and experience in the municipal elections.
The Chief Minister said that qualified and good people have no value in Congress. Bhatt said that BJP will take care of the self-respect of the new leader.
The leaders who joined Congress gave only one reason that Congress is not able to give proper respect to the dedicated party workers. Joshi said that he joined BJP because honest party workers are not respected in Congress.
He said, “I worked with full honesty and competence in the Congress, but there was no appreciation for it. That’s why I have taken membership of the BJP. I will continue to serve the party with full devotion throughout my life.”
Urban local body elections in Uttarakhand are to be held on January 23.
