Pithoragarh Congress infighting drama continues unabated as party leadership watches helplessly

Pithoragarh Congress infighting drama continues unabated as party leadership watches helplessly

B.D.Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, Jan 8

There is no end to the woes of the Uttarakhand Congress as party which has become completely rudderless in the absence of discipline marred by factionalism and infighting in the run up to the civic elections scheduled to be held on January 23, 2025 in the staste.

Interestingly, the remote border district of Pithoragarh in Kumoan region has become the embarrassing battle ground for the grand old party. The infighting and indiscipline within the Congress party which wants to challenge the ruling BJP has reached gigantic proportions in the district. The local Congress legislator Mayukg Singh Mahar knowing fully well the inability of the party to act against him has raised a banner of open revolt. Not satisfied with the choice of party candidate for the post of newly upgraded Pithoragarh Municipal Corporation, Mayukh Singh Mahar publicly ridiculed the state party leadership and announced to back his own close relative Monika Mahar against authorised Congress candidate Anju Lunthi. He publicly warned his own Congress party against using his name or his photograph in the elections campaign. He has been not only vigorously campaigning for Monika Mahar, an independent in the election  but allegedly bulldozing party workers.

A video of a crying Bhawna Nagarkot, Distrtict President of Mahila Congress charging Mayukh Mahar and his associates of manhandling her husband has added fuel to the fire and given ruling BJP another handle to hit the already beleaguered Congress party. The ruling BJP has been circulating the video clip of a crying Bhawna Nagarkoti to maximum number of voters in Pithoragarh.

The reported incident happened on January 7, 2025 in Daula village when Mayukh Mahar had gone there to campaign for his sponsored candidate Monika Mahar.

“MLA Mayukh Mahar humiliated my husband and attacked him with his men when my husband asked him to give information of the works  he has done in Daula village,” claimed  Bhawana  Nagarkoti, president of Mahila Congress Pithoragarh.

Bhawana said that she was also an aspirant for the Congress ticket for the Mayoral post of Pithoragarh but as she could not get party nomination, she started campaigning for official party candidate Anju Lunthi. “The MLA wanted me to side with the candidate sponsored by him, the independent candidate Monika Mahar,” charged  Bhawana.

In his defence, Mayukh Mahar, Congress MLA from Pithoragarh, said that when he reached Daula village, Bhupesh Nagarkoti, husband of Bhawna Nagarkoti, started abusing him saying that despite he and his wife working  for the MLA during last assembly elections, he  (the MLA) has done nothing for development of the village.”When I told him that I do not want to talk to a drunkard person, he started abusing more,” claimed Mayukh Mahar who further said that he will file a case of defamation against Bhawana Nagarkoti for defaming him.

Earlier, Mathura Datt Joshi, a Senior Vice-president of Uttarakhand Congress who had been associated with the party for nearly half a century quit the party to join BJP on refusal of the party to give Mayoral ticket from Pithoragarh to his wife. He was expelled from the party for six years. Mathura Datt Joshi asked that when the party would take action against powerful Pithoragarh MLA who has defied the party discipline and brazenly challenged the leadership.

Knowing the precarious situation of the Congress party in Uttarakhand which has been constantly losing elections after elections since 2017 under the tutelage of senior party leader and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat who is single handily calling the shots, the party is hesitant to take action against Mayukh Singh Mahar. When asked party spokesperson Amarjeet Singh said that party was well aware of the developments particularly in Pithoragarh and would definitely take action against indiscipline in the coming days. Since the matter involved a sitting legislator, the action needed to be approved by the central party leadership. But the powerful party legislator knowing fully well the vulnerability of the Uttarakhand Congress and it’s state level leaders, care two hoots about party discipline.