BJP slowly inching towards power, wins 20 seats

Dehradun, Feb 27 (UNI) Two ministers in the N D Tiwari government including the high-profile Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh and Education Minister Narendra Singh Bhandari were defeated as the BJP slowly inched towards power in Uttarakhand Assembly elections today.

Ms Hridayesh lost to her BJP rival Bansi Dhar Bhagat in Haldwani by a margin of over 4000 votes while Bhandari was bested in Pauri by independent candidate Yashpal Benam.

However, Agriculture Minister Mahendra Singh Mahra and Health Minister Tilak Raj Behar retained their Lohaghat and Rudrapur-Kichha seats respectively.

Speaker in the outgoing Assembly Yashpal Arya (Congress) and his predecessor in the post Prakash Pant (BJP) won the Mukteshwar (reserved) and Pithoragarh assembly seats respectively.

The BJP has won 20 seats and the the Congress 16 while the BSP has grabbed six and independents two.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal's (UKD) Kashi Singh Airy has lost from Kanalichhina seat, which was won by the Congress' Mayukh Singh In Nainital, BJP candidate Kharak Singh Bohra has wrested the seat from UKD's Dr Narayan Singh Jantwal. BJP has also retained the Didihat seat, with its candidate Vishal Singh Chufal emerging victorious.

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