DEHRADUN: In Uttarakhand, the Congress is in a dilemma over finalizing candidates for the Haridwar and Nainital seats.
Due to internal tussles and turmoil within the Congress in Uttarakhand, the names of candidates have not yet been announced for all five seats of the state. Despite continuous deliberations regarding the Nainital and Haridwar seats, no consensus has been reached, even at the party’s high command level. Uttarakhand is scheduled to vote on April 19 in the first phase of the general elections.
While the Congress has announced its candidates for Tehri, Pauri, and Almora, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already announced its candidates for all five Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Information obtained from confidential sources within the Congress party in Uttarakhand indicates that Yashpal Arya, the Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand assembly, who had initially expressed interest in contesting the Nainital seat, has now retracted his statement. The party’s top leadership is deeply concerned about this development.
Sources suggest that Arya’s decision may have been influenced by significant pressure from a dominant faction within the BJP. Similarly, Ganesh Godiyal, the designated Congress candidate for the Pauri parliamentary seat, is also facing mounting pressure. Notably, the Maharashtra Income Tax Department issued a summons to Godiyal, mandating his personal appearance on March 22.
While the BJP is preparing to file nominations for all five seats in Uttarakhand, the Congress is still undecided about the candidates for the Haridwar and Nainital seats. Although there was a possibility of declaring candidates for these seats in the meeting of the Central Election Committee of the Congress on Tuesday, the issue was not addressed due to a lack of consensus.
State in-charge Selja Kumari held a meeting with the top leaders of the state, but a decision on the candidates is still pending.