PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday officially reinstated Mahendra Bhatt as its State president. Bhatt was elected unopposed during the State council meeting in Dehradun, where senior party leaders including chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami approved his continuation in the role.
Addressing party members after the announcement, Bhatt said that the party’s immediate focus is the upcoming Panchayat elections, where the goal is to ensure that active BJP workers contest and win across all Gram Panchayats. He also called the 2027 Vidhan Sabha elections the party’s biggest challenge, adding that the aim this time is not just to retain power, but to achieve a target of winning over 60 seats and score a hat-trick of victories.
Referring to the previous term, Bhatt highlighted that under his leadership the party secured wins in multiple elections including the Lok Sabha, municipal, Haridwar Panchayat and Assembly polls. He attributed these victories to the combined efforts of the party’s grassroots workers, public representatives and the trust of the central leadership. He said the focus now will be on strengthening the organisation further so that no area is left untouched by the BJP’s presence. Dhami congratulated Bhatt and described him as a grounded and committed leader who has consistently worked to raise worker morale.
He said that the BJP has always created space for ordinary workers to rise through hard work and cited his and Bhatt’s own journeys as examples. “In our party, when someone is given responsibility, they are also given the chance to prove themselves. I stand here as the biggest example of that,” he said.
Dhami expressed confidence that Bhatt will continue to lead the party successfully through the Panchayat elections and beyond. He said that under Bhatt’s leadership, the organisation has functioned in coordination with the government to take development schemes to the grassroots, which will be the BJP’s key focus in the approach to 2027. He also criticised the Congress for shifting its stance on the Panchayat elections. “Those who once accused us of delaying polls are now approaching the court to stop them. And now that the elections are here, they are talking about weather conditions. This shows they are not ready for another defeat,” Dhami said.
He added that the BJP will fight and win the Panchayat elections with the same public support it has received in recent elections. Referring to the government’s performance, the CM listed major policy measures including the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, recovery of encroached land, anti-copying law and action against corruption and forced religious conversions. He said that the State is focused on delivering results and added, “If our work reaches the people, their trust will come naturally.” Both Dhami and Bhatt called on party workers to begin preparations for 2027, citing the Panchayat elections as the first step toward another full majority in the Vidhan Sabha elections.
