Independent candidate Geeta Thakur filing nomination papers for Rajya Sabha polls at the Uttarakhand Assembly in Dehradun. (Source: PTI/file) Independent candidate Geeta Thakur filing nomination papers for Rajya Sabha polls at the Uttarakhand Assembly in Dehradun. (Source: PTI/file)

BJP-backed Independent candidate for Rajya Sabha seat in Uttarakhand, Geeta Thakur, who retired from the contest on eve of the polls has resigned from the party accusing it of suffering from an “anti-Dalit mindset”.

Thakur, who announced that she was withdrawing from the contest on Friday at a joint press conference in favour of another BJP-supported Independent candidate Anil Goel announced her resignation from the party later in the night.

Charging the BJP with being “anti-women and anti-Dalit,” Thakur said she was first backed by the party as an Independent candidate with nine BJP MLAs including Pradesh BJP president and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ajay Bhatt supporting her but was later forced to back out.

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Accusing the BJP of persecuting her mentally, she said her hopes were first raised and then mercilessly dashed due to “money and briefcase politics” of BJP.

Holding Uttarakhand BJP-incharge Shyam Jaju and BJP national organisation co-secretary Shivprakash responsible for the “insult”, she said she was resigning from the primary membership of the party as well as from the membership of the Central Film Censor Board. She also resigned as the brand ambassador of the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao with immediate effect.

The BJP got another setback with its Bhimtal MLA Dan Singh Bhandari tendering his resignation from the membership of the state Assembly to Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal on Friday night.

In his resignation to the Speaker, Bhandari had urged him to accept his resignation with immediate effect. His resignation mentioned no reason for doing so.

Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has already accepted Bhandari’s resignation. BJP chief whip Madan Kashik said he had no clue why Bhandari has resigned.

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