In another tremor for the Congress Party before the Lok Sabha Elections, Manish Khanduri, the son of former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Retired Major General Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, Joined BJP on Saturday in Dehradun. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, was also present at the BJP Mahanagar office along with Election in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam and state party chief Mahendra Bhatt. He joined hands with the saffron party a day after resigning from the Congress faction.
He informed about the resignatiomn through social media platform ‘X’, he stated that I am resigning from the Indian National Congress party with immediate effect. This decision of mine is made without any personal grudges or expectations from anyone in the past.
Khanduri’s Debut Election In 2019
In 2019, Manish Khanduri made his foray into politics by joining the Congress, where he contested for the Garhwal (Pauri) Lok Sabha seat during the general elections. Unfortunately, he faced defeat in his bid for the seat, which was previously held by his father, losing to Tirath Singh Rawat by a margin of over three lakh votes.
Adding to the family’s political dynamics, Manish’s elder sister, Ritu Khanduri, currently serves as the speaker of the Uttarakhand assembly and holds a BJP MLA position from Kotdwar.
Commenting on Manish Khanduri’s resignation, State Congress president Karan Mahara told PTI “The party gave him full respect. It also gave him a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.” He hinted at the complexities involved, including potential family pressures, considering his father’s senior position within the BJP and his sister’s role as the assembly speaker. While he said that the exact reasons for his resignation can only be determined after talking to him.