Six leaders from Uttarakhand BJP join Congress as party steps up attack on Dhami-led government

Six leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including three former MLAs, from Uttarakhand joined the Congress party in New Delhi on Saturday (March 28, 2026) in the presence of party general secretary and State in-charge Kumari Selja.

The former MLAs are Rajkumar Thukral, Narayan Pal, and Bhimlal Arya, while the other three are Gaurav Goyal, Lakhan Singh, and Anuj Gupta.

Addressing a press conference, Ms. Selja said the leaders had reposed faith in the leadership of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi. She claimed that the public’s trust in the Congress was rising amid a growing dissatisfaction with the BJP government in the State.

Alleging widespread corruption under the BJP government, Ms. Selja said the ruling dispensation was “on the back foot” following protests by Congress workers that had received significant public support.

She also said attempts to “polish” the image of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had failed, with the “reality” of the leadership getting exposed before the people.

Expressing confidence about the party’s prospects, Ms. Selja said the Congress expected positive electoral gains in the State as public support continued to grow.

The induction of the six leaders took place at the party headquarters in the presence of Uttarakhand Congress leaders, including Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal, Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, election campaign committee chairman Pritam Singh, election management committee head Harak Singh Rawat, and former PCC president Karan Mahara.