Ganesh Godiyal wrests the initiative from BJP and his own detractors from within Congress

Ganesh Godiyal wrests the initiative from BJP and his own detractors from within Congress

S.M.A. KAZMI

Dehradun, March 28

Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal has wrested the initiative from his rival ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) as well his detractors from within the Congress by organising the entry of six senior leaders including former BJP legislators into Congress today.

Five leaders, namely Rajkumar Thukral, former BJP MLA from Rudrapur, former BSP legislator Narayan Pal, Bhim Lal Arya, a former MLA from Ghansali in Tehri Garhwal, a former Mayor of Roorkee city Gaurav Goel, a former chairman of Mussoorie Municipality Anuj Gupta joined Congress in New Delhi. Apart from Ganesh Godiyal who took the initiative, party general secretary incharge of Uttarakhand Selja, former PCC Chief Karan Mahra, Leader of Opposition in state assembly Yashpal Arya, Congress MLAs’ Pritam Singh and Qazi Nizamuddin and senior leaders Harak Singh Rawat and Tilak Raj Behad were present during the joining ceremony.

The only notable absentee was former Chief Minister and senior most party leader Harish Rawat who yesterday had announced that he would be taking a break from politics related issues for a week. His statement on the eve of joining of these leaders is believed to be his unhappiness at the turn of events in the state Congress.

The Congress party in a move aimed at preparations for the 2027 state assembly polls has tried to come out of the shadow of senior party leader and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat after a period of quarter of century since the inception of the state in 2000 by appointing a triumvirate.

In November 2025, the party has appointed Ganesh Godiyal, a former Brahmin legislator from Pauri Garhwal as the president of the Uttarakhand unit. He replaced Karan Mahra, brother- in- law of Harish Rawat, who completed his three- year term in April this year. Interestingly, two other senior party leaders namely Pritam Singh and Harak Singh Rawat were appointed as Heads of party’s campaign committee and election management committee, respectively.

Harish Rawat has remained a controversial leader who has tried to control the state party unit and pressurised the party high command to bow to his wishes from time to time. Interestingly in his bid to lord over the party, he has never allowed or supported any state Congress party president. He has the dubious distinction of having feuds with all the state party chiefs including his own brother-in-law Karan Mahra and his one-time proteges namely Pritam Singh and Kishore Upadhaya. Yashpal Arya, presently, Leader of Opposition (LOP)in the state assembly also had bitter relations with Harish Rawat when headed the state party unit.

By organising the entry of these leaders three of them former legislators, Ganesh Godiyal has thrown the gauntlet at the formidable election machinery of ruling BJP which has also been making preparations for the forthcoming assembly polls.

Last month, during on such exercise, BJP had announced to make three hundred Congress workers from each assembly segment join the BJP to ensure that BJP wins the polls third time consecutively. The BJP riding high on Modi wave and anti-Muslim rhetoric had won past two assembly polls in 2017 and 2022 in Uttarakhand.

Ganesh Godiyal by clinching the entry of these leaders having their own base in their respective assembly segments has not only strengthened the poll prospects but also consolidated his own position within the party.

Senior Congress leaders have hailed the joining of senior party leaders within Congress fold. Suryakant Dhasmana, a senior Vice-president of Uttarakhand Congress said in statement that it showed the coming political trend of powerful ground based leaders realising that Congress is making a comeback in the state.