Dushyant Gautam’s gubernatorial role puts Uttarakhand BJP in a bind amid Ankita Bhandari murder row

Dushyant Gautam’s appointment as the governor of Sikkim has caused ripples in poll-bound Uttarakhand, where the Congress has trained its guns at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging it is trying to “shield” the leader whose name cropped up in the 19-year-old Anika Bhandari’s murder case in 2022.

On Thursday, while the BJP leadership backed Gautam, asserting there was no evidence against him, several leaders in the state expressed concern that the issue could cast a shadow on the party’s election campaign.

Uttarakhand goes to the polls early next year, and the BJP has been in power since 2017.

The BJP has officially maintained that there is no evidence against Gautam, a Dalit face of the BJP who was a Rajya Sabha MP and a national general secretary. Gautam also filed a defamation case against the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party for alleging his involvement after video and audio clips surfaced where the partner of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore alleged that a "VIP" was linked to the crime.

There was an insinuation that the VIP was Gautam.

“The state government had taken swift steps to arrest the accused and set up a special investigation team to probe the crime. The anger and concern over the case, since it involved a young girl, didn’t become a political issue the way it has after his (Gautam’s) appointment (as Governor),” said a leader speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said the appointment will be used by the Congress as a “political tool”.

“You could say, the appointment has rekindled the memories of the crime. The issue will resonate more with the women in particular, and we cannot offend that key constituency. In the hill region, women play a key role in shaping opinions,” said the leader quoted above.

A second leader said the party will need a sharp and effective counter to the Congress’ allegations and the demand that Gautam’s appointment be withheld until the court-monitored CBI probe is concluded. The party leaders fear that the allegation that the gubernatorial post is a ruse to “provide immunity” to Gautam from persecution could resonate among youngsters drawn to social media.

“The absence of protests on the ground does not necessarily mean that the issue has no traction…” the second leader said.

The first leader quoted above said Gautam’s appointment has another downside: it comes at a time when the Upper Castes are up in arms with the government over the University Grants Commission (UGC) equity regulation (challenged in court), and there is a perception that the government is overlooking the general categories.

“BJP’s push for social engineering does not have the same impact in Uttarakhand as it does in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Of the four governors who were appointed last week, two Gautam and Mohan Ram (Odisha) are SCs. So, there is a perception that UCs are being overlooked. Earlier, Ajay Tamta (Lok Sabha MP) was made minister in the Union Council; then Dinesh Arya was sent to the Rajya Sabha,” the leader said.

The largest caste group in the state are the Upper Castes, the Rajputs/Thakurs, who are estimated to be 35% of the state's total population, followed by Brahmins, who are approximately 25%. Scheduled Castes are estimated at about 18%, the leader said.