Before the assembly elections 2027 in Uttarakhand, 'scandals' in the state politics have become a thorn in the neck of both the ruling party and the opposition. Since the Ankita Bhandari murder case, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have been searching for scandals against Congress leaders and Congress leaders against Bharatiya Janata Party. The leaders whose names are coming in the headlines are being criticized a lot on social media. The noise that started from Dushyant Kumar Gautam has reached Girdhari Lal Sahu and Harak Singh Rawat.
There is a lot of discussion about these names in Uttarakhand. Girdhari Lal Sahu was earlier a supporter of Bharatiya Janata Party, now the police is searching for him. None other than his wife Rekha Arya has filed a case of fraud against him. Harak Singh Rawat is badly surrounded by allegations of illicit relations and the uproar against Dushyant Kumar Gautam is increasing the problems of Uttarakhand Bharatiya Janata Party.
In Uttarakhand, there is more noise about scandal than political issues. There is more uproar in the state over scandals than education, land law, natural disaster, employment, education, healthcare and migration. Leaders from Congress to BJP are raising these issues. The race is about who is cornering whom and in what manner during the election season.
Also read: Ankita Bhandari case: Congress disintegrated in Uttarakhand, how has it become united after leaving discord?
BJP got a chance on the pretext of Harak Singh Rawat?
Uttarakhand BJP is cornering Congress on Harak Singh Rawat also. The ruckus that started over a property in Dehradun has reached the level of a scandal. He holds the post of Chairman of the Election Management Committee of Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and has also been a minister. He is currently at the center of political discussions due to a family dispute and the resurgence of a two-decade-old case.
The first controversy started after allegations related to property against a Congress woman leader close to him, on which Harak Singh Rawat's wife Deepti Rawat expressed strong objection by releasing a video. She threatened legal action and described herself as his legal wife. Keeping an official distance from this entire incident, the Congress Party has termed it as a purely personal and family matter of Harak Singh Rawat. Describing Deepti Rawat's pain as natural, Congress has supported a fair investigation into the case and the truth should come out.
On the other hand, an old incident is also in the headlines. The famous 'Jenny episode' of 2003 has once again heated up the politics of the state. When Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami mentioned this old matter and BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt raised the question, an uproar started.
Now sharp statements have started between both the political parties. Countering this, Harak Singh Rawat has clearly said that he has already been proved innocent in the CBI investigation and DNA test. A video of a woman calling herself Jenny has also surfaced, in which she has accused the politicians of using her name for political purposes and has claimed to reveal the whole truth with evidence soon.
Also read: 'Narco test should be done on Suresh Rathore and Urmila Sanawar', demands Ankita Bhandari's mother.
Dushyant Kumar Gautam, will Congress's politics overshadow BJP?
Bharatiya Janata Party is targeting Congress in Ankita Bhandari case. Ankita was murdered in 2022 at Vantara resort near Rishikesh. She was the receptionist. The allegation was that the owner of the resort had asked for sexual favors from a VIP. Ankita refused and was murdered. The dead body was recovered from Chela canal. All three accused, including resort owner Pulkit Arya, have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The role of an alleged VIP in the case is still under investigation. Ankita's family is calling that VIP as Dushyant Kumar Gautam.
An FIR was registered against an unidentified VIP in January 2026 and a CBI investigation was initiated on the request of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The uproar after the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor reached Delhi. Ankita's family and Congress leaders demand that Dushyant Kumar Gautam be removed from the post. By taking this decision the government is giving them constitutional protection.
The Uttarakhand government says that the accused were arrested within 24 hours, a charge sheet of about 500 pages was prepared and the court sentenced them to life imprisonment. Financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh was given to the family and Ankita's father and brother were also given jobs. The government has accused Congress and other organizations of politicizing the matter.
Congress leaders have raised questions on Gautam's appointment and said that making him governor before the investigation is completed is tantamount to patronage. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also met the family at India Gate. The allegations against Gautam have not yet been proved in the court. Ankita Bhandari's parents are protesting at Rajghat.
Also read: 'When the child was born, I came to know that the husband was married', claims Rekha Arya, adamant on FIR
Why is there noise on Rekha Arya vs Girdhari Lal Sahu?
Politics is also being done on the issue of Rekha Arya. A section of the Congress is saying that when state ministers are not safe in a BJP state, then will anyone else be safe? Minister Rekha Arya has alleged that at the time of marriage, Sahu hid the details of his first marriage and children. He had relations with other women, beat them, abused them and used caste based words. Arya says that Sahu forged her signature and showed her resignation or retirement from the post of company director in the papers. In the audio, Sahu allegedly talked about a conspiracy to kill him and there was also mention of money.
Girdhari Lal Sahu's lawyer said that both of them have been married since July 2004 and due to their long relationship, this is a domestic matter. But the court acknowledged that no matter how old the marriage is, cruelty or crime may occur later. Citing the decisions of the Supreme Court, the court said that a mini trial cannot be held at this stage. The petition was dismissed and the investigation into the allegations will continue.
Rekha Arya is BJP MLA from Someshwar. He also released video and audio clips on Facebook. Her husband Girdhari Lal Sahu has denied all the allegations. He claims that Rekha Arya has illegal assets worth Rs 210 crore and the audios are made from AI. He has demanded an investigation from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Congress is also aggressive on this issue.