Uttarakhand BJP expelled 40 members today (Representational)
The BJP today expelled 40 members from its Uttarakhand unit for "anti-party activities", news agency ANI reported. Some of the members who were expelled include Rajnish Sharma, Meera Raturi, Mohan Singh Bisht, Mahesh Bagri, Pramila Uniyal and Bhavan Singh, among others, according to a list of all the 40 names tweeted by ANI.
The action was taken by state BJP president Ajay Bhatt on the basis of reports furnished by organisational committees constituted at the district level, state BJP General Secretary Rajendra Bhandari was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"They have been stripped of their party posts and their expulsion will soon follow," he said.
The office bearers were discharged from their organisational responsibilities of mandal general secretaries, mandal presidents and district vice presidents, reported PTI.
Kunwar Pranav Singh 'Champion', a BJP MLA from Uttarakhand, was expelled from the party for six years in July. He had come under fire after he was seen dancing with guns in his hands and mouth, in a video which had been widely shared on social media.
This latest move comes over a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held crucial "discipline sessions" with party lawmakers. The sessions held by PM Modi had come after Akash Vijayvargiya, son of BJP veteran Kailash Vijayvargiya and an MLA from Madhya Pradesh, assaulted an official with a cricket bat and had been unrepentant about his behaviour.
"Whoever it may be, whoever's son he may be, such arrogance, misbehaviour cannot be tolerated and action should be taken against them," the Prime Minister had said, referring to what he called the "Indore incident".
Panchayat elections in Uttarakhand are scheduled to be held in 12 districts in three phases from October 6 to October 16.
(With Inputs From PTI, ANI)