# Ex-BJP MLA warns voters of worms if they don’t vote for him 2026-08-21T20:16:11+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Former BJP MLA Sanjay Gupta, while addressing a birthday gathering in Laksar, Haridwar, warned voters that if they drink water supplied through his projects but do not vote for him, they will get worms in their stomach and their stomach will burst. A video of his speech circulated on social media, triggering criticism ahead of the next Uttarakhand Assembly election. Gupta, who represented Laksar from 2012 to 2022, listed development works including drinking water tanks in areas where residents earlier depended on contaminated groundwater at 20 feet depth. Former Uttarakhand minister Swami Yatishwaranand and Akhara Parishad president Mahant Ravindra Puri attended the event. Gupta won the seat in 2012 and 2017 but lost it in 2022 to BSP candidate Mohammad Shahzad. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Sanjay Gupta's hyperbolic remark reflects the high-stakes nature of the Laksar seat, which flipped to the BSP in 2022 after Gupta held it for a decade. The comment, while offhand, exposes the pressure incumbents face when voters weigh past development work against other factors. The next Uttarakhand election is due in early 2027, giving parties time to exploit or defuse such controversies. Watch if the BJP distances itself officially from Gupta's statement. Laksar has a significant Muslim and Dalit electorate, and Gupta's loss in 2022 to a BSP candidate suggests his voter base may have eroded. His warning, even if rhetorical, could alienate voters further. ## Coverage - newindianexpress.com Led with the remark and video, but reported the event and background without editorialising. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: BJP, Laksar, Sanjay Gupta, Uttarakhand Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ex-bjp-mla-warns-voters-of-worms-if-they-dont-vote-for-him/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ex-bjp-mla-warns-voters-of-worms-if-they-dont-vote-for-him/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/