U’khand Congress a divided house before candidate selection in Kedarnath bypoll ?
Wednesday, 23 October 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Fissure lines within the State unit of Congress party have widened over candidate selection for the Kedarnath Assembly bypoll. On Tuesday, the spokesperson of Uttarakhand Congress Sheeshpal Singh Bisht accused the observers appointed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) of failing to observe a transparent process of candidate selection. Bisht is one of the 12 leaders who have staked claim for the party’s ticket in Kedarnath. He told The Pioneer that it is a norm that party observers first submit their report to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), after which it prepares a panel of names in consultation with party leaders and sends it to the party high command. Bisht said that it has come to his notice that the observers have bypassed the PCC and sent their report directly to the party’s State in-charge Kumari Selja, which clearly shows that there was no transparency in the entire process adopted by the observers. He said that the appointment of observers without taking the PCC president Karan Mahara was also a major mistake.
Bisht alleged that some people are trying to foist a candidate of their choice in Kedarnath Assembly bypoll due to which there is anger among the leaders who have staked their claim for Congress party’s ticket in Kedarnath. The Congress spokesperson said that he and some other contenders for the party ticket will go to Delhi to apprise the party high command about the prevailing situation and register their protest.
The AICC has appointed Ganesh Godiyal as the senior observer and deputy leader of Congress legislature party (CLP) Bhuwan Kapdi, Badrinath MLA Lakhpat Singh Butola and Jhabreda MLA Virendra Jaati as the observers for the crucial bypoll.
The appointment of Godiyal as senior observer is being viewed as the proof that the party has reposed its faith in him in the crucial battle of Kedarnath by- election. However his appointment irked the supporters of PCC president Mahara as he was not consulted by State in-charge Kumari Selja on the issue.
Former MLA Manoj Rawat, former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat and the president of the district Congress committee of Rudraprayag, Kunwar Sajwan are key contenders for the party ticket in Kedarnath.
