B. C. Khanduri

He had shown patriotism during the freedom struggle as a student and, thus, displayed a remarkable political consciousness even at an early age. Khanduri was first elected to Lok Sabha from Garhwal in Uttarakhand in 1991 and in subsequent elections. He was the Minister of State (with independent charge) of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways from 2000 to 2003 in the Union government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was elevated to cabinet rank in 2003, and held the post until the end of the tenure of the NDA government in May 2004. He is a senior leader of Bhartiya Janata Party, having served on various parliamentary committees. As a minister, he implemented BJP’s National Highways Development project. At the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, he executed the National Highways Development Plan of the NDA and gave shape to the Golden Quadrilateral Project connecting the major Indian cities and the North–South and East–West Corridor Project.

In February 2007, he led the BJP to victory in the assembly elections in Uttarakhand and was subsequently chosen to be the new Chief Minister of the state. Among Khanduri’s first accomplishments as Chief Minister was to cut expenses by reducing his own security and that of politicians and administrative officials, cutting back on their allowance for foreign trips and restricting the use of the Chief Minister’s discretionary fund to the projects approved by the district magistrates. Following his election, he toured the entire state to gain first hand information about the conditions of the people. On 11 September 2011, Khanduri announced the setting up of a stronger Lokayukta to check rampant corruption. The Uttarakhand Government approved the draft of the Lokayukta Bill, bringing within its ambit all the ministers, including the Chief Minister, the MLAs and the government servants including IAS and IPS officers, with a provision of life imprisonment or more severe punishment. The eco-friendly and sustainable industrial development of the state is, inter-alia, among the top priorities of Khanduri.