Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], February 24 : The top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttarakhand has made winnability the key criterion for ticket allocation in the 2027 Assembly elections, raising anxiety among several sitting MLAs who now fear losing their tickets.
Highly placed and reliable party sources said that the BJP has revised its ticket distribution formula in an effort to secure a hat-trick victory in the upcoming Assembly polls. Under the new approach, the party has decided to field only those leaders who have the highest chances of winning. To support this, the party is also conducting detailed surveys.
In light of the new formula and the ongoing surveys, BJP legislators are increasingly concerned that any negative findings could become grounds for denying them tickets. The anxiety is particularly high among those MLAs whose constituencies have witnessed protests in recent months.
Meanwhile, the implementation of the new formula has generated enthusiasm among several new aspirants hoping to secure party tickets.
Uttarakhand's 70-member assembly held its last elections in February 2022. The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led BJP in the state had secured 47 seats, way past the 35-seat halfway mark. Congress won 19 seats. The BJP-led government is seeking a third term in the assembly, having been in power since 2017, with Trivendra Singh Rawat as the CM. Pushkar Dhami was appointed to the post of Chief Minister in July 2021.
Earlier, the Congress Party had already announced its election team, a move that has stirred the political corridors and created a buzz within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well.
The Congress this time has acted unusually early, not only replacing its state president but also forming both the election campaign and management committees well in advance.
The Congress high command has sought to balance Uttarakhand's key caste equations: Thakur, Brahmin, SC, and ST, while reorganising the state leadership more than a year ahead of the polls.
Under the new structure, Brahmin leader Ganesh Godiyal has been appointed as the State Congress President, replacing Karan Mahara. Thakur leader Harak Singh Rawat will head the Election Management Committee, and ST leader Pritam Singh has been named the Chairman of the Campaign Committee, while SC leader Yashpal Arya continues to serve as the Leader of the Opposition.