BJP still hopeful of forming govt in Uttarakhand

New Delhi, Mar 7: BJP, which has fallen short of majority in Uttarakhand and one seat behind Congress, has not lost hopes of forming a government in the state with senior party leaders from the state and the Centre making all efforts to cobble together a majority. BJP Parliamentary Board decided at its meeting yesterday that every effort should be made to win over Independent and BSP MLAs to reach the magic figure of 36 in the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly.

Former BJP President Rajnath Singh and party general secretary Ananth Kumar have been appointed as central observers for Uttarakhand. They have been camping in Dehradun to explore the possibilities of getting the required numbers. BJP has won 31 seats while Congress has 32 MLAs. BSP won three seats, UKD one and there are three Independents.

If BSP and the two Independents decide to support Congress, its total tally will reach 37 and it can form the government. BJP is likely to get the support of the lone UKD member as that party had been an ally of the party in the last government.

PTI