DEHRADUN: Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has expressed his desire to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Khanpur in Haridwar district, but said the final decision would rest with the Congress leadership.
Speaking during a visit to Haldwani, Rawat said people from Khanpur had been urging him to contest from the constituency. “I incline to contest from Khanpur,” he said, adding that he would contest from any seat chosen by the party leadership.
Khanpur is represented by Independent MLA Umesh Kumar, who played a key role in the 2016 sting operation that contributed to the fall of Rawat’s government. Kumar was a journalist at the time, and the episode became a defining moment in the political crisis that hit the state.
Rawat’s remarks come as political parties begin preparing for the 2027 Assembly elections. His interest in Khanpur has sparked speculation about the Congress’s electoral strategy in Haridwar district, though the party has made no announcement.
Asked whether members of his family should receive Congress tickets, Rawat defended their political work, saying they had been active in public life for 20 to 25 years and had built their own connections with voters.
Responding to questions about dynastic politics, he urged critics to consider his family members’ contributions to public life. He said defeating the BJP should be the priority and that he would support “whoever is the strongest candidate” against the ruling party.
Rawat’s daughter, Anupama Rawat, is the Congress MLA from Haridwar Rural. She defeated BJP leader Swami Yatishwaranand in the 2022 Assembly elections. Yatishwaranand had defeated Harish Rawat from the same constituency in 2017.
His elder son, Virendra Rawat, contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Haridwar as the Congress candidate. His younger son, Anand Rawat, has served as state president of the Youth Congress and is currently a general secretary of the Uttarakhand Congress.
