DEHRADUN: In view of the State Aseembly elections next year, Congress party in Uttarakhand is set to start its electoral bugle from Sunday, (June10,2026) with a series of 'Parivartan Sankalp Sammelans' across 10 hill districts. The campaign even before its launch has triggered fresh murmurs of factional unease within the party.
The party has divided the 10 mountainous districts into four zones and handed charge to senior leaders Ganesh Godiyal, Pritam Singh, Harak Singh Rawat and Karan Mahara for its campaigning. The conferences will include worker meetings and public rallies in every Assembly segment, where the party plans to sharpen its attack on the ruling BJP and mobilise its cadre.
However, the campaign poster released for the hill outreach has raised eyebrows. The poster features photos of Godiyal, Pritam, Harak Singh and Mahara, but the names and photographs of former chief minister Harish Rawat and Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya are missing.
The omission prompted former Congress MP Pradeep Tamta, an aide of Harish Rawat, to take a veiled swipe on social media. Sharing the poster, Tamta wrote, “Does this indicate inclusive leadership?”
Though Tamta limited himself to a single line, party insiders see the remark as a clear signal of discontent in the Harish Rawat camp. The former chief minister was also not seen during the recent visit of party’s Uttarakhand in-charge, Kumari Selja to Dehradun.
Harish Rawat and Yashpal Arya have not been assigned responsibility for any of the four zones. Instead, sitting MLAs and former legislators have been attached to the teams led by the four designated leaders.
Seeking to downplay any controversy, state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal told TNIE that both senior leaders remained central to the party’s campaign plans.
“Harish Rawat ji and Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya ji can participate in any Assembly segment in any zone. We are moving ahead with a positive approach,” Godiyal said.
Party sources also indicated that Rawat and Arya may be given charge of the 'Parivartan Sankalp Sammelans' in the two plain districts of Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar. However, dates for the programmes in these districts have not yet been finalised.
The timing of Tamta’s post, just ahead of the June 28 launch, has nevertheless exposed the fragile internal balance within the Congress. The party is facing a do-or-die battle to prevent the BJP from securing a third consecutive victory in Uttarakhand.
A state-level Congress spokesperson, requesting anonymity, admitted that the internal situation was far from smooth. “Harish Rawat, who already appears to have been pushed away from the core election team, is standing at one of the toughest points of his political journey. A powerful section within the Congress is strongly resisting his return to the centre stage of the campaign, and it is succeeding to an extent. This public factionalism raises serious questions about Mission 2027."
