M A I N   N E W S

Record win for U’khand CM in Sitarganj bypoll
With Vijay Bahuguna’s victory, Cong ups tally in Assembly
SMA Kazmi/TNS

THE NUMBER GAME CM Vijay Bahuguna (Cong) 53,766 votes Parkash Pant (BJP) 13,812 votes Victory margin 39,954 votes (a record)

Dehradun, July 11
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has won the Sitarganj Assembly byelection by a record margin of 39,954 votes, defeating his nearest BJP rival Parkash Pant.

With CM Vijay Bahuguna entering the Assembly with a record win, the number of ruling Congress legislators in the state has gone up to 33 in the 70-member House. On the other hand, with the loss of Sitarganj seat, the numbers of MLAs of the main Opposition party BJP has come down to 30 in the Assembly.

Uttarakhand Chief Electoral Officer Radha Raturi said Congress candidate and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna polled 53,766 votes, while BJP candidate Parkash Pant got 13,812 votes. The victory margin is the highest in the Assembly elections in the state.

Vijay Bahuguna, a Lok Sabha MP from Tehri Garhwal, was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on March 13, 2012, after the Assembly elections in which Congress won with a slender majority. He has to enter the Assembly within six months. The Sitarganj Assembly byelection was necessitated following the resignation of BJP legislator Kiran Mandal in favour of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

As part of the Congress strategy, Kiran Mandal was made to resign on the condition that the state government would give ownership rights to the Bengali immigrants who are in majority in the Sitarganj Assembly segment. The polling was held on July 8.

Bahuguna maintained a comfortable lead till the end of the counting at Rudrapur.

“I humbly accept this win, but it is a challenge for me and my government. This is a verdict by the people for the development of the state. It is a win for the hopes and aspirations of the people who voted for the Congress. I would try to fulfil the confidence that the people of Sitarganj have reposed in me,” he said.