Srinagar mayor Aarti Bhandari, 10 councillors join BJP in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand's alone independent mayor, Aarti Bhandari, and ten councillors affiliated with her, have entered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday. The state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt and cabinet minister Dhan Singh Rawat officiated the ceremony at the party's headquarters in Dehradun. "The addition of the mayor and councillors has added fresh vigor to the party," remarked Bhatt, expressing confidence that the BJP will achieve a strong victory in the 2027 assembly elections.

Now, the BJP boasts mayors in 11 municipal corporations across the state, following Bhandari's switch. Bhatt credited the party's leadership in Uttarakhand, as well as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, for their warm welcome. Bhandari expressed gratitude towards the BJP's state leaders and Chief Minister for her acceptance, affirming that her political beliefs had remained consistent despite her independent stance during municipal elections.

Her husband and senior party figure Lakhpat Bhandari also joined the BJP on the same day, stating that despite offers from other parties, he remained steadfast in his commitment to the BJP's ideology. Rawat stated that Srinagar would benefit from a "triple-engine" government, referring to the collaboration between the Central government, state government, and Srinagar municipal corporation.

Moreover, a significant membership drive for the BJP in Srinagar was announced, with the party aiming to recruit around 1,000 new members in the constituency. Rawat highlighted ongoing development projects in Srinagar and unveiled a ₹72 crore scheme designed to provide continuous water supply to the municipality.