Yashpal Arya for CM? Harish Rawat Camp Jittery as Gandhis Keen on Dalit CM Face in Uttarakhand After Punjab
Is it time for another Dalit CM from the Congress after Punjab? Sources say Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are keen on replicating their Punjab move in Uttarakhand as well next year, though no final decision has been taken yet.
Fuelling the speculation was the homecoming of veteran leader and one-time Congress stalwart Yashpal Arya and his son back to the party. A Dalit leader, Arya’s return to the Congress came as a shock to both the BJP and Congress veteran Harish Rawat who was hoping to be the CM candidate despite being busy with messy affairs in Punjab.
Rawat, a former Uttarakhand CM, was rushed to the AICC headquarters from Punjab when Arya joined the Congress after meeting the Gandhis. Party sources told News18 that Arya had three rounds of discussions with the Gandhis, who were keen to have him on board.
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Harish Rawat was made the CM of the hill state in February 2014 when Vijay Bahuguna was forced out over his handling of the devastating flash floods the previous year. But the Rawat government fell in March 2016 after nine MLAs resigned to join the BJP. The state was then placed under President’s Rule and the BJP romped to power in the 2017 elections.
The Congress is now itching for a comeback after the BJP changed three chief ministers in the state, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), too, has made inroads.
The entry of Yashpal Arya, a known opponent of Harish Rawat, and the possible entry of a few more leaders from the BJP has got the former CM worried. His supporters were hoping that the experienced Rawat would be the CM candidate, which is why he too was insistent on being relieved as Punjab in-charge. But Rawat had agreed to wait on the insistence of party president Sonia Gandhi till matters were sorted.
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After the appointment of Dalit leader Charanjeet Singh Channi as Punjab CM, the Congress is said to be hoping to use the strategy not just in states, but in 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well.
In Uttarakhand, Dalits comprise roughly 23% of the population. Harish Rawat is a Thakur, who comprise around 25% of the population and cannot be overlooked. But going by the Punjab example, the Congress is willing to gamble for an electoral edge.
The possibility has led to some concerns in the Rawat camp which is why the leader wants to stay put in Uttarakhand to strengthen his position. Congress sources, however, say Yashpal Arya is not the only Dalit probable in the party the Gandhis are looking at. Pradeep Tamta is another powerful Dalit leader.
But just like Punjab where an apparent rift opened up between Navjot Singh Sidhu and Channi, infighting may rear its ugly head in the hills as well.
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( News Source :Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Rashtra News staff and is published from a www.news18.com feed.)
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