Who is Yashpal Arya, Uttarakhand minister, who quit BJP to rejoin Congress

In a setback to the BJP in Uttarakhand before the Assembly elections, minister Yashpal Arya quit the saffron party and rejoined the Congress along with his MLA son Sanjeev Arya.

A six-time MLA and prominent Dalit leader, Yashpal Arya was the Transport Minister in the Pushkar Singh Dhami government.

Also a former president of the Uttarakhand Congress, Arya had quit the party ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections as he was reportedly upset with the then chief minister Harish Rawat.

Reports said the real reason was the Congress’s reluctance to field Arya’s son in the elections and the BJP then promptly fielded Sanjeev Arya from the Nainital seat which he won.

The Indian Express reported that Yashpal Arya had been upset with the elevation of Dhami as the Chief Minister. In fact, Dhami himself went to Arya’s residence on September 25 amid reports of his unhappiness.