DEHRADUN: Despite declaring that the elections in Uttarakhand will be fought under collective leadership, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat is leaving no stone unturned to put his name forward as the candidate.
Central leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Devendra Yadav have said that the elections will be contested collectively riding on anti-incumbency against the BJP government. “The party doesn’t want to stoke factionalism. Though no one says this, but everyone knows there is one camp of Harish Rawat and another of Pritam Singh, the Leader of Opposition,” said a leader.
However, Rawat through social media posts and statements have been asserting himself as the CM candidate, said party insiders. Political analysts say the central leadership cannot ignore Rawat.
Jai Singh Rawat, political commentator, said, “Look at the statements of Harish Rawat and his style of campaigning. He is clearly promoting himself. He took all the positions of importance such as chairman of election committee while the position of state president went to his loyalist.”