Rebels proved party-pooper for Cong, BJP in Kumaon
Rajeev Khanna
Tribune News Service

Almora, March 10
Rebel candidates of both Congress and BJP have proved to be spoilsport for the candidates of the two parties in the Assembly elections in the Kumaon region.

Though in several constituencies the rebels did not win the elections, they ensured the defeat of the candidates of the Congress and the BJP.

Kaladhungi is one such seat where Congress rebel Mahesh Sharma proved to be party-pooper. Sharma garnered more than 10,000 votes as an Independent candidate and made a major dent in the vote bank of Congress candidate Prakash Joshi.

The party leadership had worked hard for Joshi as he was a protégé of national general secretary of the party Rahul Gandhi. However, Sharma lost to BJP candidate Bansidhar Bhagat mainly due to his past performance.

Manish Tiwari, nephew of former Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tewari, was also defeated from the Gadarpur seat as Congress rebel Jarnail Singh Kalib managed to garner a majority of the Congress votes. While Kalib finished a close second, Tiwari was pushed to the fourth position.

The same story was repeated in the Almora constituency where BJP candidate Raghunath Singh Chauhan failed to win despite an aggressive campaign against Congress candidate Manoj Tiwari. BJP rebel Kailash Sharma spoilt his chances of victory.

Though Kailash Sharma himself fared poorly, he ensured that Chauhan lost the elections where caste played a major role.

In Someshwar also, Congress rebel Rekha Arya’s performance helped former minister and BJP candidate Ajay Tamta to emerge victorious.

Arya lost the elections to Tamta by more than 2,000 votes while Congress candidate RS Barakoti finished third polling a little more than 6,000 votes.

Even in the Ramnagar seat, more than 4,000 votes polled by the BJP rebel proved expensive for the party and helped Congress candidate Amrita Rawat to win the elections.

Pushpavali-2012 gets off to vibrant start
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 10
“Pushpavali- 2012”, the annual flower show and fair organised at the Bengal Engineer Group and Centre, Roorkee, got off to a bright and vibrant start here today with Prof Pradipta Banerji, Director, IIT Roorkee, inaugurating the two-day show.

Brig Suresh Sharma, Commandant, Bengal Engineer Group and Centre, said, “Pushpavali is an annual event which is organised by the BEG since pre-Independence days to encourage gardeners, florists and nature lovers to celebrate the colours of spring. The dates for the event are finalised after consultation with renowned horticulturists who forecast the exact date of the full bloom of flowers in Roorkee to make this event a grand success”.

“It is a beautiful feeling to see varieties of flowers in Roorkee during the festival and the amount of curiosity and fanfare the general public has for this annual event,” said the Director. On this occasion, 41 varieties of flowers were on display, including candy tuft, petunias, dahlias, freesia, calendulas, pansies, stocks, phlox, geraniums, marigolds, salvias, asters, poppies and gazinias.

Dignitaries of civil institutions, namely IIT, BHEL, NIH, CBRI, IRI, Uttarakhand Police and all ranks of Bengal Sappers and Roorkee military station attended the event.

Colonel Pankaj Yadav, president of the managing committee, said, “There has been a very healthy participation from all quarters of Roorkee. More than 1,800 entries have been registered in all categories.” A floral rangoli competition was also organised at the venue for various offices of BEG with themes like saving girl child, encouraging the public to vote with fair means, holi festival and emerging India.

A heavy rush was seen at the ticket counter in the lucky draw stall in which the first prize was an Alto car. The draw will be held tomorrow.

Rajbar’s defeat from Dharchula a blow to Ban Rawat community
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, March 10
The Ban Rawat community that lives in the forests of Askot and Didihat has ended its 10-year tryst with power as Gagan Singh Rajbar, the lone MLA from the community, has failed to win from the Dharchula seat in this Assembly elections.

Two-time MLA Rajbar’s political fate changed after delimitation when Dharchula was declared a general seat.

The members of the Ban Rawat community numbering around 560 are considered to be descendants of the Kirats, who ruled the Himalayan region 2,500 years ago and went to live in forests after the Khasas arrived there. Rajbar was being sort after by people of the upper castes after the Dharchula seat was reserved for the tribal community as the latter wanted to block the entry of a Bhotia tribal into the Assembly. “When we were looking for a tribal youth other than from the Bhotia community, we had the lone option of a candidate belonging to the Ban Rawat community that lived in forests of the subdivision,” said BD Joshi, former block pramukh of Dharchula, who brought Rajbar to the political mainstream.

“When we brought Rajbar to the political mainstream, he was a daily wage labourer. He was just Class VIII pass but still was the most qualified among the Ban Rawat youth,” said Joshi.

Rajbar, who won the Assembly elections for the first time in 2002 and then in 2007, polled only 2,990 votes in this elections. He had polled 46 per cent votes in 2002 and 38 per cent in 2007, but this time he got only 6.3 per cent votes. “He finished fifth from the Dharchula seat this time as the candidates belonging to the general category stole the show. The population of voters belonging to the general category is nearly five times more than the tribals,” said Joshi. Though Rajbar had been an MLA from Dharchula having a population of 1.5 lakh for two terms, his elevation to the Legislative Assembly had failed to get rid the Ban Rawat community of perennial deprivation, as its members still lived in forests without farming. “The community members still work as agricultural labourers in neighbouring villages, sell fodder, firewood or make agricultural equipment to earn their livelihood,” said Hira Singh Bora, a former MLA who has been working for the tribals for the last 30 years.

Asked what he did for his community which was still living a life of deprivation, Rajbar cited his achievements claiming that he got BPL cards made for the members of the community to enable them to get cheap ration from the fair price shop. “As I was surrounded by non-tribal MLAs and there was no other MLA from the community in the Assembly, I could not get any special scheme approved for the uplift of my own people. I regret my failure in this regard,” said Rajbar.

The Ban Rawats are still to get dwelling rights under the Forest Rights Act passed by the Union government in 2006. They also have no fertile land for cultivation and their traditional occupation of wood crafts is facing a tough time due to the shortage of raw material. “The community had the opportunity of seeing development as one of its members was elected to the state Assembly for two terms. It could have been saved from perennial deprivation and lack of education. Rajbar could have secured jobs for the Ban Rawat youth, provided health facilities in forests where they lived and generated better living conditions for their children as the death rate among them was the highest in the district,” said Joshi.

Ranjit, Chandragupta boxing champs
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 10
On the second day of the RIMC Inter-Section Boxing Competition, Ranjit and Chandragupta shared the top slot with 21 points each. Shivaji with 14 points was in the second position while Pratap with 6 points stood third.

There were a total of 6 final bouts today. In the final match in 36-39 weight category, Arjun Thakur beat Seoul Tripathi while in the 42-45 kg category, Mridul Rawat beat L Zote. In the 45-48 weight category, Muzeeb defeated Vijay and in 51-54, V Lalremdika beat Avinash. Raushan Kumar beat Maikel Singh in the 57-60 category while Harsh Arora beat Saurabh Shukla in the 63-66 category.

Hav Achinto Roy, Hav AD Bhonsale, Hav Chaudhari Dev and Hav Vincent were the judges for the competition.

Rebel Bisht cost Cong Dhanaulti seat
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, March 10
The inability of senior Congress leaders to find a solution to the problem of the rebel candidate contesting the Assembly elections from Dhanaulti in Tehri Garhwal district has cost the party dearly.

The Dhanaulti seat, considered a stronghold of the BJP, which the party won even in the last elections, was de-reserved in the delimitation exercise and the Congress had pinned its hope on wresting the seat from the BJP this time.

However, with rebel Congress candidate Jot Singh Bisht fighting the elections from this seat made the chances of win of the Congress candidate bleak. BJP candidate Mahavir Singh Rangad, who contested the Assembly elections from Dhanaulti for the first time, the going much to his liking despite resentment against former BJP MLA Khajan Das.

Rangad won the elections garnering 12,081 votes, while Congress candidate Manmohan Singh Mall secured 10,933 votes and rebel Congress candidate Jot Singh Bisht finished third with 10,261 votes.

Political observers believe that the shifting of Congress workers’ votes in the Thauldhar region of the Dhanaulti constituency in favour of Jot Singh Bisht in a such large number was the major reason for Mall’s defeat.

The Congress supporters also believe that if the the poll managers in the party had tried seriously to salvage the situation and won over Bisht, the division of votes could have been avoided easily. They also believe that if either Mall or Bisht had contested the elections on Congress ticket, he would have polled more than 20,000 votes and won.

On the other hand, Bisht, who garnered around 6,000 votes, made a dent in the vote share of both Congress and BJP.

Internal sabotage led to my defeat, says Sethi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 10
State Congress candidate Devendra Sethi, who lost from Dehradun Cantt Assembly seat, has stated that he lost the Assembly elections due to internal sabotage.

In a statement issued here today, Devendra Sethi said some party office-bearers worked against him in the Assembly elections. This fact was also in the knowledge of the party high command, he added.

Sethi, however, expressed gratitude towards those who voted for him. “Despite losing the Assembly elections, I secured 27,000 votes, which showed that a large number of people voted for me,” Sethi said.

Sethi also appealed to the party workers to be ready for the upcoming Dehradun Municipal Corporation elections. 

Resentment over poor roads ‘led to Bhauryal’s defeat’ from Kapkot
Rajeev Khanna/TNS

Almora, March 10
The issue of bad condition of roads led to the defeat of the BJP candidate from the Kapkot seat, Balwant Singh Bhauryal, in the recent Assembly elections.

Observers say that the issue of poor roads was the main reason for Bhauryal ‘s defeat who had been a Cabinet Minister in the BJP government in the state.

Kapkot is also the home town of present Rajya Sabha member and former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.

During the month-long poll campaign, Congress candidate Lalit Farswan managed to encash the issue and in every rally and public meeting he was seen promising the voters better roads and their maintenance if voted to power.

The observers said it was primarily the pathetic condition of the 78-km Dharamghar-Balighat road that worked against Bhauryal. This road is the lifeline of 60 villages, including Dofad, Banlekh, Chipoli, Taped, Pachar, Kidai, Pathkyuda and Simgadi.

The 24-km Pindari road is also in a poor condition that had left the voters agitated. Besides a heavy movement of traffic, the road is used by tourists visiting the Pindari glacier area.

The tourists visit the place to see Pindari, Kafni and Sundardhunga glaciers. Besides, the road also witnesses the movement of trucks carrying mined material from the area. Bhauryal’s native village Kurauli falls in this area.

The voters of the area had been complaining that travelling by this route was a threat to their lives, but their pleas remained unheard till Farswan promised them good roads. Even the image of former Chief Minister BC Khanduri as the architect of highways in the country failed to work in Bhauryal’s favour. Farswan took up the issue even during his door-to-door campaign and voters decided to support him in the hope of seeing better roads in their villages.

Indo-US workshop on environment
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 10
Scientists from India and United States of America (USA) will participate in the three-day Indo-US workshop on green chemistry for environment and sustainable development.

The Chemistry departments of Hemawati Nandan Bahuguna (HNB) Garhwal University and Texas University, USA, will be organising the conference jointly.

Addressing a press conference today, Prof Bimal Banik said the workshop would bring eminent scientists under one platform.

Discussions on harmful effect of toxics extensively used in chemistry on the environment would be discussed in the workshop.