Tuesday 3 January 2012

End of UKD-Divakar


Written by Anil Singh
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The End of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) was forecast in the last Assembly elections; but , the party managed to win 3 seats.

The End of UKD is forecast in the upcoming Assembly elections as well; and this time around, at least one faction of UKD, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal-Divakar (UKD-D), will get a burial.

Uttarakhand Kranti Dal's Divakar Bhatt faction, who was busy fighting with another faction of UKD, the UKD-Pawar (Trivendrum Singh Pawar) for Symbol till the last week; has now decided to contest the upcoming Uttarakhand Assembly Elections under the BJP symbol.

What? Uttarakhand Kranti Dal-Divakar (UKD-D), who days back got a new election symbol (a kite), will contest under BJP's Lotus symbol?

Yes, it will.

UKD-D will not merge into BJP, but will contest the upcoming January 30 Assembly polls under BJP symbol. At least two Assembly seats, Devprayag(Divakar Bhatt) and Narendranagar (Om Gopal Rawat) have been finalized; talks are on, on the other seats.

Newspapers are reporting that this is the same arrangement, BJP has with Akalis in Punjab -- wherein Akalis contest polls under BJP symbol.

Whatever be the arrangement, UKD-D is sure to become a lost entity very soon. But the good thing is, both the UKD-D and the BJP, are aware of this. All the talk of a "Special arrangement -- wherein you retain your party but contest on someone else's symbol" is a way to fool supporters, who may retaliate furiously if the very party's founder and top functionaries leave to join another political party.

It has long been rumored that Mr. Divakar Bhatt and Mr. Om Gopal Rawat were contemplating joining BJP. But sensing that, joining BJP just days ahead of Assembly polls, can agitate even the staunchest of supporters, UKD-D chose to adopt this "disguised arrangement".

But this disguised arrangement is both sad and shameful.

Sad, because the move betrayed all those UKD-D supporters, who supported UKD for it being a local party and for it being different from BJP.

Shameful, because, politicians like Mr. Bhatt, should at least have some faith on the intelligence of voters. Assuming voters not capable of thinking on their own is tantamount to demeaning them.

That apart, UKD-D's special poll arrangement with BJP, raises one ethical question as well.

If UKD-D didn't intend to contest the upcoming Assembly polls under its own symbol; then was it ethical for it to fight with UKD-P faction over party symbol (undivided UKD's party Symbol -- Chair)?

Notably, when both the factions, UKD-P and UKD-D, sought their claim on undivided UKD's Chair symbol, the EC cancelled the Chair symbol and issued Cup-plate symbol to Pawar and Kite to Divakar.

Now, even if the claim of the Chair symbol, was a conscious ploy of both BJP and UKD-D, to crush UKD-P ahead of elections; the action doesn't seem ethical (naitik).

As if UKD-D wins seats under BJP symbol, it will be treated as BJP for the next five years.
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