Among those who filed their nomination papers in Haridwar district on Tuesday for the February 15 poll included the former MlA Ambrish Kumar who filed his papers as the Congress candidate from the Ranipur-BHEl Assembly segment and Pradeep Batra of BJP who filed papers from Roorkee. Batra who was elected from Roorkee on Congress ticket during 2012 election turned rebel in March last year and switched to BJP later. This aside, BJP candidate Rishipal Baliyan submitted papers from Manglaur Assembly seat.
Ambrish is a veteran leader who aside from being known for his erudition and oratorical skill has an appeal among the mass of the people. Prior to the 2012 Assembly elections, he joined Congress. But he was denied the party ticket at the last moment with the party opting for Rajbeer Chauhan for Haridwar rural who finished fourth while Ambrish contesting as an Independent bagged 19,625 votes, finishing second. This time, the party has nominated him from Ranipur seat known for a mixed population of Muslims, Hindus and some other communities.
Speaking to The Pioneer at Har Ki Pauri, Ambrish Kumar said, “My dream has finally come true. I waited for this opportunity for 44 long years. During these years, I worked hard among the people. I am a staunch follower of Pandit Jawharlal Nehru. If elected, my focus would be on spreading education far and wide. We all must contribute our bit to translate the dream Panditji dreamt about India.”
Pradeep Batra, a soft- spoken, dynamic leader holding sway over Punjabi vote bank of Roorkee aside from other communities, said, “I would win from this seat hands down. The people are with me. I would work for making Roorkee, saaf and sundar.”