BJP selects three to challenge Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna

DEHRA DUN: BJP today sent a panel of three names to the party's central leadership for the July 8 Sitarganj assembly by-election from where chief minister Vijay Bahuguna is contesting.

Names of former cabinet minister Prakash Pant, former MP Balraj Pasi and former Udhamsingh Nagar district president Ratan Lal Gupta were sent to the party high command for contesting against Bahuguna, state BJP spokesman Satish Lakhera said.

This was decided at a meeting of the state BJP election committee here, Lakhera said.

The move came after top state leaders, including two former chief ministers B C Khanduri and B S Koshiyari, decided not to face Bahuguna at the hustings.

"We had discussed all the names, including Koshiyari and Khanduri, but the meeting decided to recommend only three names of Pant, Pasi and Gupta", Lakheral said.

The BJP central parliamentary board would finalize the name of the candidate against Bahuguna.

A meeting of the board is likely to take place soon as the last date of filing of nomination papers is June 20 for Sitarganj seat which fell vacant after the resignation of BJP MLA Kiran Mandal last month.