Congress leader Kumari Selja congratulates former BJP MLAs Rajkumar Thukral and Bhimlal Arya, former Roorkee mayor Gaurav Goyal, BJP leaders Lakhan Singh Negi and Anuj Gupta and BSP leader Narayan Pal after they joined the Congress party, at the party office in New Delhi on March 28, 2026 | Photo credit: PTI
Six Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including three former MLAs, from Uttarakhand joined the Congress party in New Delhi on Saturday (March 28, 2026) in the presence of the party’s general secretary and state in-charge Kumari Selji.
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 renewed faith in the leadership of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi. She claimed that public confidence in the Congress is growing amid growing discontent with the BJP government in the state.
Ms Selja, who says there is widespread corruption under the BJP government, said government relief was “on the back foot” after protests by Congress workers gained significant public support.
She also said that attempts to “polish” the image of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had failed and the “reality” of the leadership was exposed before the people.
Expressing confidence in the party’s prospects, Ms. Selja said the Congress expects positive electoral gains in the state as public support continues 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 Opposition Yashpal Arya, Election Campaign Committee Chairman Pritam Singh, Election Management Committee Chief Harak Singh Rawat and former PCC President Karan Mahara.
Published – 28 March 2026 22:02 IST
