Enforcement Directorate in play against Congress leader on the eve of civic polls as ruling BJP sought mandate for ‘Triple Engine’ government

Enforcement Directorate in play against Congress leader on the eve of civic polls as ruling BJP sought mandate for ‘Triple Engine’ government
S.M.A.KAZMI / B.D.Kasniyal
Dehradun / Pithoragarh, Jan 23
On the eve of the civic elections polling in Uttarakhand, Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached 101 bighas of land belonging to senior Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat in an alleged old corruption case hitting the already beleaguered opposition Congress party as more than polling in the civic poll concluded peacefully amidst reports of large scale omission of names of voters. Interestingly, amongst the large number of voters who returned disappointed on not finding their names in the voters list was senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) riding on the planks of Hindutva, anti-Muslim rhetoric and implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) sought mandate for a “Triple engine’ government in the state.
According to state Election Commission officials, nearly 56 per cent overall polling was reported across the urban areas of the state as people voted to elect their representatives for 11 Municipal Corporations, 43 municipalities and 46 Nagar Panchayats across the state.
There had been protests and demand by some social activists to the Nainital High Court to take cognizance of omission of names in the voters list.
Interestingly, on the eve of the civil election polling, Enforcement Directorate in New Delhi announced that it has attached two plots measuring 101 bighas, belonging to Harak Singh Rawat located at Sahaspur in Dehradun district after an order was issued on January 20,2025 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The federal agency charged Harak Singh of hatching a conspiracy to usurp two land parcels in Dehradun whose current market value is about Rs. 70 crore. The Uttarakhand police had filed an FIR against Birendra Singh Kandari, a close associate of Harak Singh Rawat and ED had taken over the investigation.
The case pertains to the first elected government of the state in which Harak Singh Rawat was revenue Minister under Chief Ministership of N.D.Tewari. The ED claimed that despite court orders cancelling the sale of the lands, one late Sushila Rani “in conspiracy’ with other persons registered two power of attorneys in the name of Kandari and Narndra Kumar walia for these land parcels. Later, these two land parcels were sold to Deepti Rrawat, wife of Harak singh rawat and Luxmi Rana, another a close associate of Harak Singh Rawat at much below circle rates prescribed by the state government. The son of Harak Singh Rawat is running Doon Institute of Medical Scince (DIMS) on the said land. The family members of Harak Singh were questioned by the ED in the case as he faced another CBI inquiry into Corbett tree felling.
Since 2004, the case has been in news from time to time. However, during the Congress regime from 2012 till 2017, it went ‘dead’. Harak Singh Rawat jumped the fence in 2016 and joined the BJP and again become Forest Minister under BJP regime of Trivendra Singh Rawat after 2017 elections. However, he made a political miscalculation before the 2022 state assembly polls and again jumped the fence to join Congress in the hope that as per past record Congress would form the government but it did not happened. Before 2024 Lok Sabha elections, cases against him surfaced as his close family members faced the investigations. He tried to wriggle out by getting his daughter law Anukriti Gusain who had fought election on Congress ticket in assembly polls, to resign and join the BJP.
However, he himself become active during the three state assembly bye-elections held in 2024 at Mangalore, Badrinath and Kedarnath inviting the wrath of the ruling dispensation.
On the other hand, the most interesting triangular electoral battle has taken place for the Mayoral seat of newly upgraded seat of Pithoragarh Municipal Corporation. The local Congress legislator Mayukh Singh Mahar had raised banner of revolt against his own party by openly supporting his close relative Monika Mahar against the official Congress candidate Anju Lunthi. Monika Mahar is wife of Rishiendra Singh Mahar, a nephew of Mayukh Singh Mahar. The Congress legislator challenged the state party leadership for denying party nomination to Monika Mahar and opening campaigned for her.
Congress candidate Anju Lunthi said that she has been put up by the party and would faithfully fight the poll. She was confident that being a grass root worker people would recognise her and reward her. On the hand, Rishendra Singh Mahar, husband of Monika Mahar, who is national youth wing secretary and at present incharge of youth Congress in Punjab said ” although, my wife is contesting as her own, it should not be related directly with me, but injustice has been done by some Congress leaders against me as they gave party symbol over night to a candidate who was financially strong over the candidate devoted towards party ideology,”.
“Congress party is losing it’s existence in state due to weakness of its leadership,” claimed Mathura Datt Joshi now a BJP leader and a former vice -president of Congress who quit Conmgress on denial of party vticket for the mayoral seat to his wife from Pithoragarh.
Anju Lunthi, Congress candidate has been awarded party ticket due to her courage in facing a tough bye-election in 2019 from in Pithoragarh seat, when present MLA Mayukh Mahar had refused to contest sensing defeat due to strong sympathy wave after death of BJP leader and state Minister Prakash Pant. “It is her courage and faith in party, that has been awarded,” said Karan Mahra, state chief of Congress party.
Rishendra Singh, joined NSUI in the year 2006, when was elected treasure of student’s union in local PG college. He was made National secretary of youth Congress in the year 2022 and given Youth Congress command for assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh in 2022, Karnataka in 2023 and Punjab in 2024.” We won two assembly elections of Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka with hard work of our youth Congress workers,” said Rishendra Mahar.
Mayukh Singh Mahar, a three time MLA of Congress party belongs to a family of freedom fighters and had won assembly seats for Congress party in 2007, ( from kanalichina assembly seat now abolished) 2012 and 2022 from Pithoragarh assembly.” We have sought ticket for the wife of Rishendra Singh, but it was denied on the ground of our candidate’s financial weakness. This is the new trend emerging in Congress where dedicated party workers are neglected. We are fighting that tendency of party,” claimed Mayukh Singh Mahar.