Uttarakhand Congress Leader Yashpal Arya Joins BJP 

In a major setback for the Congress party, its senior leader in Uttarakhand and minister in the state cabinet Yashpal Arya on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Arya, along with his son Sanjeev, joined the BJP in the presence of BJP President Amit Shah, BJP in-charge of Uttarakhand Shyam Jaju and senior BJP leaders from Uttarakhand, including former Chief Ministers Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and B.C. Khanduri, at a function. Arya, a six-term MLA, was said to be not getting along well with Chief Minister Harish Rawat. On the occasion, Arya said he has full faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's politics of performance and party President Amit Shah's vision. Elections to the 70-seat Uttarakhand assembly are scheduled for February 15.