Overview

• The BJP issued a show-cause notice to former MLA Suresh Rathore on June 23 for indiscipline after he publicly introduced Urmila Sanawar as his second wife at a press conference on June 15.
• The notice, under instructions from state president Mahendra Bhatt and signed by general secretary Rajendra Bisht, demands a written explanation within seven days for conduct deemed damaging to the party’s moral image.
• Sanawar says their Gandharva marriage took place at Nepal’s Pashupatinath temple on October 4, 2022, asserting it predated the Uniform Civil Code which came into effect in Uttarakhand on January 27, 2025, and did not violate its provisions.
• Rathore has denied marrying Sanawar, claiming that ceremony images were part of a film shoot and challenging critics to present any footage of actual wedding rituals.
• Uttarakhand Congress leaders have accused the BJP of selective enforcement of the UCC, demanding clarity on whether Rathore’s union constitutes a legal breach under the new monogamy rules.