Uttarakhand Keycandidate Detail

Cabinet minister Yashpal Arya quit the ruing BJP in October 2021 to join the Congress, which fielded him from Bajpur in Udham Singh Nagar district in this year’s assembly polls. Pitted against Rajesh Kumar of BJP and Sunita Tamta Bajwa of Aam Aadmi Party, he is considered a Dalit stalwart in Uttarakhand. Arya’s exit from the BJP was a big blow to the party ahead of the elections as he has held several important posts, including that of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He was first elected from Mukteshwar constituency in the 2007 polls and from Bajpur in 2012. Arya joined BJP in 2017, but joined the Congress along with his son Sanjiv Arya (MLA, Nainital) on October 11, 2021.