While the Congress high command continues to deliberate over its choice of candidates from Haridwar, Garhwal and Tehri parliamentary constituencies, contender for the party ticket from Garhwal and Congress State spokesman Dhirendra Pratap has continued his efforts for securing the party ticket to contest from Garhwal. He has already written twice to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi seeking the party ticket from Garhwal.
On Tuesday, he met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat at his Delhi residence and discussed his claim for the candidature. He also met the recently-appointed Congress Uttarakhand working in-charge Rajeev Shukla. According to Pratap, he later met Sonia Gandhi’s assistant V George to discuss his claim for the party ticket from Garhwal constituency. He said that he would not return from Delhi till the Congress officially announces the names of the party candidates from the three remaining constituencies of Uttarakhand. According to Pratap, lt Gen (retd) Gambhir Singh Negi, cabinet ministers Harak Singh Rawat and Surendra Singh Negi had also presented their claim for the party ticket from Garhwal constituency on the phone to Rajeev Shukla. Pratap has averred that he is a strong candidate for defeating the BJP candidate from Garhwal, former CM Maj Gen (retd) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri.