Congress veteran ND Tiwari's son joins BJP ahead of Uttarakhand polls

New Delhi: Rohit Shekhar, the son of senior Congress leader from Uttarakhand Narayan Dutt Tiwari, on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Congress veteran N D Tiwari today joined BJP along with son Rohit and wife Ujjwala, dealing a major blow to a party he served for over five decades ahead of February 15 Assembly elections in Uttarakhand.

Tiwari accompanied Shekhar when his son joined the BJP, sparking media reports that the veteran politician too had joined the party.

Shekhar in 2014 won a six-year old legal battle and persuaded Tiwari to accept that he was his son. He was born out of an affair between the politician and his mother Dr Ujjwala Sharma..

Tiwari, 91, is a three-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, one-time CM of Uttarakhand and also held a gubernatorial post and several key portfolios in various Congress governments at the Centre.

His presence can help the saffron party in Kumaon region, a stronghold of chief minister Harish Rawat.

“Rohit may be fielded from Lalkuan or Haldwani assembly constituency. Tiwari will not contest the election,” a BJP source said.

Tiwari was seeking ticket for his son from the Congress party, too, and had recently extended support to Akhilesh Yadav following the family feud in UP’s ruling Samajwadi Party.

He had an unceremonious exit from Raj Bhawan of Andhra Pradesh after a CD featuring showing him in compromising position with women was aired by a local TV channel.