Ending weeks of speculations, the Congress brass on Saturday zeroed in on former MP Pradeep Tamta, a staunch loyalist of the CM Harish Rawat, as the party’s candidate for the June 11 Rajya Sabha election.
How things would unfold now with the Congress having cold-shouldered its time-tested ally PDF with the latter clamouring for the RS seat is not clear. Mention worthy, six MlAs belonging to the group have stood by Congress during the latter’s worst political crisis. Some observers say that it is part of the Congress’s strategy to go for early poll after the RS election is over. The party leadership is supposed to have already decided that in case PDF bickers over the Congress fielding its own man for the RS seat the party might recommend dissolution of the Assembly to pave way for a fresh election.
However, a Congress insider said that Tamta being selected the candidate has made it clear that the party would favour only those who have passed the crucial test of loyalty to the CM Rawat. “Those who show the spunk to challenge his supremacy would go the way Satpal Maharaj and Vijay Bahuguna have gone,” he said.
Political analysts said that since the exit of nine dissident Congress MlAs-Vijay Bahuguna, Harak Singh Rawat, Subodh Uniyal, Dr Shailendra Mohan Singhal, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Pradeep Batra, Dr Shilarani Rawat and Umesh Sharma Kau, CM Rawat had to grapple with immense pressure to send PCC president Kishore Upadhyay to Rajya Sabha. “But Rawat preferring Tamta to Upadhyay has sent the message that he has his eyes trained on the Dalit vote. “Tamta being a Dalit fits the bill. Besides, a shrewd tactician, Rawat used the PDF clamouring for a local candidate to stop the party high command from parachuting one from outside,” said one of the observers.
BJP, on the other hand, has kept its cards close to its chest so far. However, the insiders say that the RS election would end up being a cliff hanger as they would field one who is capable of spawning another split in the Congress.
“The party might give the RS ticket to the newly inducted Vijay Bahuguna,” an insider said.
Observers feel that with Harish Rawat remaining focused on Kumaon-the region from which he hails- the party leaders from Garhwal have been grumbling. “In case BJP chooses to field one from Garhwal the possibility of some Congress MlAs cross-voting cannot be ruled out,” an observer said.