Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri’s victory in the Dhumakot assembly by-election on Sunday brought double celebrations for BJP.

Khanduri not only scored an impressive victory defeating Congress candidate Surendra Singh Negi by over 14,171 votes   but also secured a majority for the BJP in the Vidhan Sabha on its own.

At the end of the counting of votes this afternoon, Khanduri polled 22,708 votes while Negi could muster only 8,537 votes. Manish Sundriyal, an independent candidate, also got 848 votes. A total of 32,277 votes were cast in the Dhumakot election which was held on August 29. With the victory of Khanduri, BJP will now have 36 seats on its own in the 70-member state assembly even as it continues to enjoy the support of 3-member Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) as well as three independents.

Rapturous celebrations erupted at the BJP headquarters in Dehra Dun and also at Dhumakot after the results were announced as people burst firecrackers and distributed sweets.

Khanduri addressed a rally at Dhumakot, one of the most backward areas of the state, and thanked people for giving him a resounding victory.  “This is the victory of the people of Dhumakot. I will do my best to fulfill your aspirations and dreams,” said Khanduri.

The election was necessitated after Congress leader T P S Rawat quit the seat in favour of Khanduri.