Khazan Das to fight as Independent

Denied ticket, Sahaspur MLA Rajkumar stages dharna

Dehradun, January 4
Giving vent to discontentment after being denied ticket from Rajpur, Sports Minister Khazan Das today declared that he would fight the elections as an independent. Khazan Das said he had made his intention known to the party that he would be fighting from the Rajpur seat after the Dhanolti seat, from where he is a sitting MLA, was de- reserved.

“I have been a disciplined soldier of the party but there is pressure from my supporters to contest from the Rajpur seat that I had begun to nurture,” he said.

However, he refused to divulge whether he would quit the BJP.

Meanwhile, the sitting MLA from Sahaspur, who was hoping to get the Assembly ticket from Purola, held a sit-in at Gandhi Park.

After remaining incognito yesterday, Rajkumar emerged today only to stage a dharna at Gandhi Park along with his supporters.

“After fighting the election from the plain, Sahaspur, I was keen to go back to the hills to serve my people but I have been denied ticket from Purola,” said Rajkumar.

His supporters added that most of the leaders in the state were migrating to the plains. His was the only case of reverse migration.

While his supporters continued to voice their protest at the BJP party headquarters, he kept himself away from the party headquarters.

Meanwhile, with most of the supporters of former Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank bearing the brunt of the high command’s selection procedure for the Assembly seats, the party office was agog with rumours how the protests have been orchestrated by Nishank himself.