But following the charges of corruption and after his name appeared in the reports of CAG, the BJP president Nitin Gadkari was left with no other option but to replace him in order to come clean on the issue of corruption and thus Gadkari after consultation with other senior party leaders once again chosen the experienced B C Khanduri to lead the party in Uttarakhand, and as assembly elections are due in 2012 in this hilly state, the bigger question which comes to our mind is will the clean image of Khanduri going to benefit the BJP in the upcoming elections?
 
Though the previous tenure of B C Khanduri as chief minister of the state saw a ‘scam-free’ rule, it will be a big challenge now for Khanduri to attract voters of the state once again towards the BJP. The biggest advantage which the BJP would like to take this time will be of price hike, inflation and corruption as all these issues are directly linked with the common man.

 
More, the arrival of Khanduri on the scene will draw some votes from the armed cadre as he served in the army for a long time and the majority of population in the state is associated with armed forces in one way or the other.
 
Recently, when the senior BJP leader and president of the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha (URM), Lt General (retd.) T P S Rawat, left the party and decided to contest elections on its own, a large number of persons from the forces and civil society joined him so the BJP left with no other option but to replace Nishank with a chief minister who can bring in some votes from the families of the armed forces living in Uttarakhand.
 
It will not be out of place to mention here that B C Khanduri enjoys a lot of respect and following among the personnel from armed cadre, and this was one of the reasons why the BJP selected him for the top job. Now, as little time is being left in the assembly elections, and the state already facing problems following heavy rains in the region, it will be an uphill task for Khanduri to see his party through in the assembly elections. There will be an anti-incumbency factor in place but Khanduri must feel lucky and must thank the UPA government for making a hike in the prices of petrol before elections and if the LPG subsidy goes off, it will be another advantage for him to encash this issue during the polls.