Though candidates are making their best to reach out to the voters nowadays, Uttarakhand is presently missing such leaders like former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and senior Congress leader ND Tiwari who used to keep his audience spell bound with his oratory skills. His dialogue in local dialect with the people only used to bring him closer to his people.
Many voters of a parliamentary seat like the Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar constituency that is known for its strong intellectual base as well as its multi-ethnic character, are keenly waiting for such leaders who could strike a chord with them. “Sometimes the voters voluntarily attend the public rallies organised by the political parties, only to listen to the leaders like ND Tiwari,” says Anmol Pathak, a resident of Haldwani.
“Nowadays such mass leaders who communicate with the public in their language and understand their concerns are missing here,” he added.However, to find that missing chord with the electorate, the Congress party may bring in veteran ND Tiwari at least to campaign for the party in this prestigious Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar parliamentary constituency in the days to come, as the Congress party's poll strategists here indicated.
The matter of fact is that he may not be politically active of late, but Tiwari still enjoys popularity particularly in this Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar seat. He has recently visited different parts of Naintial-Udham singh Nagar parliamentary constituency which also happens to be his home town and met with his supporters during his stay here.Amid reports of his contesting from the Nainital-Uhamsingh Nagar lok Sabha seat, Tiwari later announced his unwillingness to file his nomination papers from the said seat when the Congress party fielded incumbent KC Singh Baba.
But, as his close aides said, Tiwari was quite upset with the Congress party for not consulting him before finalising name of candidate for the Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar seat. The Congress leaders here, however, have admitted that Tiwari still holds clouts among the people of this region.
“Senior leader Tiwari is a mass leader. He has always given priority to development. More so, he used to energise his people by singing patriotic songs and that is why he is so popular among the people here even today,” said Chaudhary lal Singh, co-in-charge of Congress' Uttarakhand affairs during his Kumaon visit here to see party' s preparations for the upcoming lok Sabha elections.
Senior leader like Tiwari's contribution to Uttarakhand can not be ignored. Industrialisation of the hill State is among many other developmental projects that took place during the Tiwari regime, added the senior Congress leader and co-in-charge of party's Uttarakhand affairs.It may be recalled that the ND Tiwari also campaigned for the party candidate from Haldwani Assembly constituency Indira Hardiyesh in the Assembly elections of 2012 and Haridayesh who lost this seat in 2007 Assembly polls, registered a thumping victory in the same seat in 2012 Assembly elections.
Therefore, the Congress party leaders here are of the view that if Tiwari agrees to campaign for the party candidate, it may help party in a big way in hitherto heavily polarised Nainital-Udham singh Nagar lok Sabha seat.