Dehradun: Five days after he was expelled from the BJP, Harak Singh Rawat on Friday joined the Congress in Delhi along with his daughter-in-law Anukriti Gusain. The former Uttarakhand minister and his daughter-in-law joined the Congress in the presence of party campaign head for Uttarakhand Harish Rawat, PCC president Ganesh Godiyal, Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Pritam Singh, state party in-charge Devender Yadav and other leaders.
Harak Singh Rawat, who represented the Kotdwar seat in the Uttarakhand Assembly, was among the 10 MLAs who had rebelled against the then chief minister Harish Rawat-led state government in 2016 and joined the BJP, reducing the Congress dispensation to a minority. Harish Rawat, who always insisted Harak Singh Rawat should apologise for what he did to his government, is said to have been averse to the latter’s re-induction into the party.
Soon after returning to the Congress, Harak Singh Rawat claimed that he has joined the party unconditionally. Speculations have come up that the Congress could field the former minister from Kedarnath and Gusain from Lansdowne in the upcoming Uttarakhand Assembly polls. The party is likely to announce its first list of candidates for the February 14 state elections soon.
Also read: Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate merged with eternal flame at National War Memorial
Harak Singh Rawat was expelled from the BJP and dismissed from the Uttarakhand Cabinet on Sunday for allegedly ‘mounting pressure’ for tickets for his family members ahead of the assembly polls. He was said to have been seeking a ticket for Gusain from the Lansdowne constituency and a change of seat for himself. However, the BJP disagreed with him. Rawat was also in the news in December after he left a state cabinet meeting in a huff, triggering speculation that he might resign as a minister. He was also upset over the delay in the state government’s approval for a proposal for a medical college in Kotdwar.
Post Your Comments