Harish Rawat being kept at bay in Uttarakhand Congress

Harish Rawat being kept at bay in Uttarakhand Congress

S.M.A. KAZMI

Dehradun, April 18

Congress party has taken several initiatives to rejuvenate its’ Uttarakhand party unit to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the forthcoming state assembly polls scheduled to be held in early 2027. The Congress is trying to dethrone the BJP which in turn would be trying to create a hattrick of wins in the assembly polls.

To get better of formidable election machinery of ruling BJP/RSS which has thrived on ‘Modi magic’ and extreme communal polarisation in an upper caste Hindu dominated state, Congress central leadership has initiated several steps to strengthen its’ organisational machinery.

The indication of change in the strategy were evident during the four day visit of party general secretary incharge Kumari Selja to the state, holding meetings and interacting with party workers. Interestingly, earlier, she was seldom seen in Uttarakhand and was running the show sitting in the national capital. She ran the party affairs remotely by summoning senior state Congress leaders to New Delhi to discuss for ‘meetings’. Her last week visit was perhaps her longest stay in the state where she gave major indications regarding the path the party would be taking in the run up to the crucial assembly polls.

Knowing fully well that it would be a last chance for Congress party to wrest power from BJP by capitalising on the huge anti -incumbency factor prevailing and prevent the state from becoming another ‘Gujarat’, a nemesis of Congress party, the party has taken many corrective steps.

The prominent takeaway of the strategy includes giving collective responsibility to senior leaders and keeping at bay senior leader and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat who has become a divisive and controversial figure in the faction ridden Uttarakhand 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 had 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 2025. 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 in the past 25 years of history of Uttarakhand. Interestingly in his bid to lord over the party, he has never allowed or supported any state Congress party president to function smoothly. 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 he headed the state party unit.

It was believed that Ganesh Godiyal who was once close to Harish Rawat would be acceptable. But, few months into the saddle, the differences between the two come out in the open. Ganesh Godiyal who tried to wrest the initiative from BJP by organising entry of some senior BJP leaders including former legislators into Congress was not liked by Harish Rawat.  Unable to fathom the growing clout of Ganesh Godiyal who was trying to build his own team, Harish Rawat probably found in him a possible rival for the past of Chief Minister in case Congress comes to power. He objected to the reported non-inclusion of one of his own protégé from Ramnagar who had fought against official party candidate in last elections.

Unhappy at not being heard, he announced to take an ‘earned’ break from ‘politics’ for a fortnight to show his annoyance and pressurise the party as part of his time-tested strategy. Interestingly, during the ‘break’ period he become hyper active, giving interviews to host of channels and talk shows. He also poured his heart out in describing his ‘achievements’ in his social media posts. Even some his die-hard supporters including a legislator openly called for a ‘revolt’ against the party for ‘insult’ heaped on him.

Amidst this far too familiar tactics of Harish Rawat, Selja visited the state and did not bother to placate the grand old man of Uttarakhand Congress. She did not go to him to know about his ‘grievances’. Harish Rawat, a shrewd politician finally had to meet her at a meeting of senior leaders held at the residence of Leader of Opposition in state assembly Yashpal Arya.

In another significant development, Selja also poured cold waters on the ambitions of senior leaders including Harish Rawat in giving party tickets to their own kith and kin. She said that the formula of “one family, One ticket’ would be strictly followed in next assembly polls.

Harish Rawat, whose own daughter is a party legislator from Haridwar was eyeing ticket for his son Anand Rawat and himself. Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya was looking for a nomination of his own son, a former legislator while Pritam Singh, legislator from Chakrata  was hopeful of getting a nomination for his son, a vice-chairman of Dehradun Zila Panchayat.

Interestingly, while the 2017 assembly polls were fought by Congress party under the leadership of Harish Rawat who was then Chief Minister, again in 2022 polls, he pressurised the party to announce him as the Chief Ministerial face during the polls. The party lost both the elections and personally Harish Rawat was also defeated. In 2017, he fought on two assembly seats and lost on both. In 2022, he again lost the assembly polls.