Independent candidate volunteers to make way for Khanduri

Dehradun, May 14 (UNI) Rajendra Singh Bhandari, an Independent candidate from Nandprayag who is supporting BJP government and looking after Sports Ministry, today offered to vacate his seat for Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj Gen (retd) B C Khanduri who has four months left to be elected to the Assembly.

''I have age on my side and there is long way to go for me in politics. Contesting for Lok Sabha could be my future venture,'' Mr Bhandari told reporters here.

Mr Bhandari said the prerogative to contest from Nandprayag rests with Maj-Gen Khanduri. Denying that so far he has approached the Chief Minister to convey his intention he said that he was ready to vacate his seat provided Maj Gen Kaduri approached him. When asked whether he had plan to contest Lok Sabha seat from Pauri from where Maj Gen Khanduri is presently MP, he said he had no such intention.

When asked why, he being an independent, thought his offer could be accepted by BJP, he maintained that this would increase the number of Assembly members that would provide numerical strength to BJP. He denied any pressure being exerted by the BJP on him to vacate his seat.

Earlier Legislators Suresh Chandra Jain(Roorkee), Shailendra Rawat (Kotdwar), Vijaya Barthwal(Yamkeshwar) had personally offered to vacate their respective seats for Maj Gen Khanduri to make his entry into the legislature. Meanwhile Kedarnath BJP unit had urged Maj Gen Khanduri to contest from there during his visit to the area earlier.

Maj Gen Khanduri had earlier stated to the media that the selection of constituency for him was BJP High Command's prerogative.

UNI