Puranchand Sharma elected BJP Uttaranchal chief

Puranchand Sharma elected BJP Uttaranchal chief
S.M.A. KAZMI

DEHRA DUN, JAN 1: Puranchand Sharma, was today elected president of the Uttaranchal state unit of the BJP here.

The lone candidate to file nomination for the post, Sharma's name was proposed by the Chief Minister and seconded by Manohar Kant Dhayani, Rajya Sabha member and Bhagat Singh Khoshiyari, outgoing president of the unit.

The post of party's state unit president fell vacant following Khoshiyari's induction to the Uttaranchal Cabinet.

Despite intense lobbying amongst various rival factions within the party to hold the post, Chief Minister Nityanand Swami managed to have his say, though the matter was finally decided by the party high command, sources said.

Om Parkash Kohli, the election officer from Delhi, received Sharma's loneset of nomination papers and found them in order. Also present on the occasion was Kailash Joshi, former chief minister of MP, who is in charge of party affairs in Uttaranchal.

Sharma, who hails from Almora district in Kumoan, was earlier the vice-president of the Uttaranchal unit of the party. He was also a minister in the Kalyan Singh Cabinet in UP.