PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
By giving the reins of Uttarakhand Congress to Ganesh Godiyal and by bestowing key assignments to veterans Pritam Singh (head of the campaign committee) and Harak Singh Rawat (head of the election management committee) the Congress high command has tried to focus on Garhwal region for the battle of Vidhan Sabha elections of 2027. The workers of the party were complaining about neglect of the Garhwal region as the key posts of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president (Karan Mahara) and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Vidhan Sabha (Yashpal Arya) were occupied by the leaders belonging to Kumaon region of the State. Apart from them another leader from Kumaon, Bhuwan Kapdi is the deputy leader of Congress legislature party in Vidhan Sabha. By appointing Godiyal, Pritam Singh and Harak Singh Rawat, all belonging to Garhwal region, the party has tried to do a balancing act. In the elections of 2022, the Congress candidates were able to win only three seats ( Chakrata, Badrinath and Pratapnagar) in the districts of Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi).
Godiyal will hold the responsibility of the PCC president of the Uttarakhand Congress for the second time. Ahead of the Vidhan Sabha elections of 2022, Godiyal was appointed PCC president by the Congress. Taking moral responsibility for the defeat of the party in 2022, he had submitted his resignation after which Karan Mahara was appointed as the PCC president.
Political observers point out that by appointing Godiyal as PCC president the party high command has played the Brahmin card for the elections of 2027. In recent years, the Brahmin community has shifted its allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party and by appointing Godiyal, the party has tried to woo them back to its fold.
