By Kushal Jeena
With the elevation of supporters of Harish Rawat to three key posts in Uttarakhand Congress and the state assembly, the former chief minister has once again emerged as the only strongman in the state party organization as the party high opted to put stamp on his recommendations
However, this has also paved the way for further discontentment among the party leaders causing a serious threat to the party electoral prospects ahead of countrywide general elections. There are reports suggesting that six of the recently elected Congress leaders are contemplating switching over their side to the ruling BJP. These rebels included former leader of opposition Pritam Singh. Following humiliating defeat of the party and himself in the recently concluded polls to the state assembly in which the ruling BJP emerged as victorious for the second consecutive term.
The return of the same party to the government has happened for the first time after the state came into being in 2000. The politics of the hilly state generally revolves around two major political parties Congress and the BJP. The state assembly has a strength of 70 MLAs and among them Congress has a strength of 19 legislators, ruling BJP 47 and two BSP and two independents.
The results of the assembly elections stunned all as it was general expectation that the BJP is on its way out because of a strong anti incumbency factor. However, some last minute incidents spoiled the game of the Congress. Besides, party high command and state leaders were also responsible for the defeat as with the open connivance of the central party representatives mainly Devendra Yadav played key role as the chief spoiler and he had the strong backing of Congress general secretary incharge of administration KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
The appointment of three supporters of Harish Rawat to three major posts in the party and the assembly has clearly indicated that the politics of Congress party in the tine hill state of Uttarakhand in and out of the assembly would determined by none other than the former chief minister who is expected to stage come back to the central party organization. Moreover, some more heads of those who played all dirty tricks available in their armory to ensure defeat of the party as well as head of its campaign trail because it was pre-decided that in case Congress comes back to power, Rawat was the front-runner for the office of the chief minister, which was not accepted to the central representatives and some of the disgruntled elements in the state party particularly once friends turned foes Pritam Singh and Ranjeet Rawat.
The former chief minister was instrumental in making Singh first state party chief few years back and later as leader of opposition and the other Ranjeet Rawat used to command all the influence in the power corridors in Dehradun during Harish Rawat’s regime for being right hand man of the then chief minister.
The central leadership of the party is needed to take urgent measures to set its house in order as a serious threat to its existence in the state looms large. The other small players like Aam Admi Party and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal are waiting in the wings to eat out the shares of India’s grand old party that is currently facing its worst phase as it is being reduced to a lame duck thanks to the communal Hindutva politics of the BJP that presently commands larger influence and acceptance among the Indian masses particularly in the northern parts of the country generally described as cow belt