Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD)

Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), roughly translated as the Uttarakhand Revolutionary Party, is a regional political party, as approved by the Election Commission of India. Its mass base is primarily in the state of Uttarakhand, where the UKD claims to be the only regional party, unlike the other political outfits in the region, which have a national presence. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal has a centre-left political position and operates on the ideologies of civic Regionalism and Populism. The UKD strongly opposes any form of ethnic regionalism in the state.

Formed in the year 1979, under the able guidance and chairmanship of Dr. D.D. Pant, the then Vice-Chancellor of Kumaon University, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal aimed to carve out a separate state of the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh, so as to cater to the interests and causes of social justice for the hill people. The party made its entry in the legislative assembly in 1980, when Jaswant Singh Bisht became a renowned MLA from the region representing the Ranikhet constituency. Later, Kashi Singh Airy won an Assembly seat from Pithoragarh.

In 1994, the UKD initiated mass movements for constitutional validity of a separate state for the Uttarakhandis. These protests were further fueled by the death of Indramoni Badoni, who was a forerunner to the cause and ideologies of the UKD. In November 2000, the agitation and revolutionary struggles of the UKD bore fruit when under the leadership of Kashi Singh Airy, a separate state called Uttaranchal was formed. This state later came to be called Uttarakhand.

In the first Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly formed in 2002, the UKD won only 7 out of the 70 seats in the state. Its prospects of capturing power in the state have been decreasing, with the BJP and the Congress replacing the UKD in appeal and forming governments in the state. The UKD went into an alliance with the BJP after the state assembly polls in 2007, although for a brief period. The BJP’s failure to implement good governance in the state made the UKD sever ties with the national party. Presently, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal has one MLA in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. It maintains periodic ties and friendly relationships with other liberal left parties in the country, such as the CPI-M and the CPI. The UKD proposes to form a ‘Third Way’, moving out of the BJP and Congress mould.

Election Symbol of UKD

The Election Symbol of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, as approved by the Election Commission of India, is the Chair. This symbol is usually drawn on a party flag which carries the three colours green, red and white, in asymmetrical rectangles. The green rectangle covers most of the flag, whereas the white and the red form two small and proportionate rectangles to the right. The use of the three colours is very significant. Green is the colour of hope as well as of greenery, nature and beauty. Red is the colour of revolutionary zeal, of blood and of class struggle. White, on the other hand, is the colour of peace and prosperity. The chair symbol, along with the party flag, is significant as it depicts what the UKD stands for. In historical understanding, the chair has a number of social symbolisms. Apart from being a simple tool used for resting, the chair is associated with authority and respect in society; it denotes status of high reverence. Thus the UKD, through its symbolism, represents its fight and revolutionary struggles for the people of Uttarakhand, as well as its influential position in the minds of the people.

 

Leaders of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal

The leaders of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, who are also the national executives of the party, are listed below:

• Kashi Singh Airy, President of UKD: He is one of the founder members of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and is the senior-most member of the party at present. He has remained a former MLA of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for three terms when Uttarakhand was not formed yet. He is the first MLA to be elected from the UKD in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.
• Bhuwan Chandra Joshi, Vice President of UKD
• Beena Bahugana, Senior Rajya Andolonkari of UKD


• Trivendra Singh Pawar, National Chairman of UKD
• Vijay Panwar, General Secretary of UKD
• Sudarshan Negi, General Secretary of UKD
• Satish Semwal, General Secretary of UKD
• Piyush Pokriyal, General Secretary of UKD
• Pritam Panwar, MLA in Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha
• A.P. Juyal, Working Chairman
• Pushpesh Tripathy, Organizational Chairman
• Achievements of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal

As a regional political party, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal has had some significant achievements. Some of these are listed below:

• A number of protests and agitations have been carried about by the UKD, which has led to the party’s strong adherence to the social justice of the people of Uttarakhand.
• In the 2007 Uttarakhand assembly elections, the UKD proved to be the black horse in so far as its support to either the BJP or the Congress was concerned. None of these parties were able to win a clear majority, and it was only the UKD’s support that helped form the government.
• The UKD has played a phenomenal role in the recent floods that affected millions of lives in Uttarakhand. From setting up relief camps to providing food and clothing to the homeless, the UKD’s role during the crisis periods in the state was significant.

Address and contact details

• Official Website of UKD: http://cp.sify.com/webdata/ukd.org.in/home.htm
• Head-Office Address of UKD: Kranti Bhawan, 10 Court Road, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001
• Email id:[email protected]