Khanduri to be new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Mar 1 (UNI) Former Union Minister Maj Gen(Retd) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri who led the BJP to a handsome victory in the recent Assembly elections will be the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

The 72-year-old Maj Gen Khanduri was today unanimously elected leader of the BJP Legislature party after a five-hour long meeting.

Former Chief Minister and State BJP Chief Bhagat Singh Koshyari proposed his name supported by State General Secretary Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank which was unanimously accepted by the party legilators.

Before arriving at the decision, party's central observers from Delhi Gopinath Munde and Om Prakash Mathur had talked separately to the newly elected legislators at a local hotel.

Talking to reporters later, Mr Munde announced that Maj Gen Khanduri has been unanimously elected leader of the Legislature party.

He said Maj Gen Khanduri and state party chief Bhagat Singh Koshyari would meet Governor Sudarshan Agarwal at the Raj Bhavan to stake the claim to form the next government.

Two Independents have pledged support to the party.

The BJP needed the support of a single MLA to form the government as it has clinched 34 seats out of total 69 for which the election was held.

Commissioned into the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers in 1954, Maj Gen Khanduri served in a variety of important posts, both command and staff, during his military career, including command of his regiment in the 1971 war, and heading an Engineer Brigade. His staff appointments included a stint as Addl DG in the Military Secretary's Branch and ADG in the the Engineer-in-Chief's branch.

He was conferred the AVSM in 1982.

Maj Gen Khanduri was inducted into the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government in November 2000 as Minister of State (Independent Charge), Road Transport and Highways, and was elevated to cabinet rank in May 2003, holding the post till the NDA government lost the 2004 general elections.

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