Dehradun: As the tenure of BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand Anil Baluni ends soon, the party has put forward its state president Mahendra Bhatt’s name for the candidature of Rajya Sabha. Mahendra Bhatt is a Brahmin face from Chamoli district and his candidature is being speculated as a balancing exercise in the state. Bhatt was also a candidate from Badrinath assembly seat in the last assembly elections but lost his seat to Congress’s candidate Rajendra Singh Bhandari.
BJP has awarded him for his dedication and loyalty
Despite losing his Badrinath seat, BJP high command has shown trust in Mahendra Bhatt and he was appointed as BJP state president. This decision is a bit surprising for the BJP leaders as many veterans were cornered while selecting a candidate for RS seat. BJP’s media In-charge Manvir Singh Chauhan said that Mahendra Bhatt has been awarded for his dedication and loyalty towards the party.
No hurdle in Bhatt’s entry in Rajya Sabha
Seeing the strong presence of BJP in the state assembly, Bhatt is certain to go to Rajya Sabha. Scoring 47 seats in last assembly elections, BJP has a strong majority in the 70-seat assembly. Therefore, there is no obstacle in the path of Mahendra Bhatt stepping towards the Rajya Sabha MP designation.
Voting will be held on February 27, votes will be counted in the evening
Schedule has been decided for the selection procedure as the voting for the Rajya Sabha seat will take place on February 27. Nominations for Rajya Sabha elections will take place till February 15. Afterwards, voting will be held in the Assembly on February 27 from 9 am to 4 pm. Counting of votes will take place from 5 pm onwards.
From Ram Mandir Andolan to statehood movement, Bhatt actively participated in both
BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt belongs to Brahmin Thala village of Pokhari block of Chamoli district. Having a masters degree in commerce, Bhatt remained active in various movements. He has participated in Ram Temple movement in his college days and he remained in jail for 15 days. Bhatt was a staunch supporter of separate state for Pahadi folks so he was part of the statehood movement and stayed in Pauri jail for five days for this reason.
Two-time MLA from important assembly seats
He started his political journey as Yuva Morcha State President from 1991 to 1993. Being a national executive member of the Morcha, he was also in-charge of Himachal and Maharashtra. He also held the post of Garhwal Mandal Convenor from 2012 to 2014. His political career started growing by leaps and bounds when he registered win in assembly elections in 2002. He won elections from Nandprayag assembly seat in 2002. He was selected from Badrinath assembly constituency for the second time from 2017 to 2022, but faced defeat in the 2022 elections.
Bhatt has expressed his gratitude to PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Dhami
Mahendra Bhatt has expressed his gratitude to the party leadership, PM Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah and the Central Parliamentary Board. According to his statement given after the declaration of his candidature, he said, “I will fulfill the honour and responsibility given to an ordinary worker like me with full devotion and honesty. I also express my gratitude to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.”
