Thursday, 20 January 2022 | PNS | Nainital
The former Uttarakhand Mahila Congress president Sarita Arya arrived in Nainital for the first time on Wednesday after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. The local leaders of the BJP headed by the party’s Mandal head Anand Bisht welcomed Arya but the head and office bearers of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha in Nainital were not present during the programme. On being asked by reporters if she will contest the Assembly election from Nainital, the former MLA said that she had joined the BJP without setting any conditions. She said that she will fully support whoever is fielded by the party organisation in Nainital. Arya said that she had joined the BJP on being impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Another major reason for leaving the Congress was that tickets were being given to women candidates in Uttar Pradesh as per Congress leader Priyanak Gandhi’s ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ slogan but in Uttarakhand the women were being ignored by the party in the Assembly elections, said Arya.
It is pertinent to mention here that though Arya has said that she has joined the BJP unconditionally, the party’s Mahila Morcha head and office bearers in Nainital had earlier said that they welcome her into the party but would object to her being fielded as the BJP candidate from Nainital. By not attending the event held to welcome Arya in Nainital, the local Mahila Morcha leaders have made it appear as if they are unhappy with Arya’s entry in the BJP.
