In a bid to counter Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, BJP candidate from Garhwal lok Sabha seat, the Congress may field lt Gen Gambhir Singh Negi as this seat is having large number of Ex-servicemen voters.
Sources said that sitting Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj is running angry to the incumbent Chief Minister Harish Rawat. CM Rawat is making all efforts to woo him to contest the General election from Garhwal lok Sabha seat. There is a large number of servicemen and Ex-servicemen voters in the Garhwal lok Sabha constituency, so the Congress is trying to give stiff challenge to Gen Khanduri.
Sources said that sitting MP Satpal Maharaj has realised that his position has weakened and hence decided not to contest the election. Although talking to the mediapersons, Maharaj said he wants to make All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice president Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister of India so he does not want to confine himself in one lok Sabha constituency.
Sources further said that Maharaj has given his given their approval on lt Gen Negi’s name for Garhwal seat. If this happens then contest would be more interesting in the seat. It would be pertinent to mention here that Garhwal lok Sabha consists of 14 Assembly constituency and most of the constituency witnessed disaster in June 2013. Before disaster, Vijay Bahuguna led State Government had convened a Cabinet meeting in Gairsain and laid foundation stone for Vidhan Sabha and MlA transit hostel building in Gairsain.
Thereafter, Maharaj was claiming this as a big achievement for the State Government. As the disaster hit the State causing devastation in Kedarnath, which fall in Rudraprayag district and is part of Garhwal constituency. later, Congress changed former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna with Haridwar MP Harish Rawat on February 1, 2014. Since then Maharaj was running angry but it doubled when CM Rawat did not give Power Ministry to
Cabinet Minister Amrita Rawat while allocating portfolio to their Ministers and removed Horticulture Ministry from her. Since then Maharaj made several attempt to convince CM Rawat to allocate at least previous portfolio to Minister Amrita Rawat.
Sensing that CM Rawat is not ready to allocate the portfolio then Maharaj decided not to contest lS election. To ascertain his claim Maharaj alleged that CM Rawat has assured party high command that congress would win three namely Haridwar, Nainital and Almora out of five lok Sabha constituencies of the State. It means CM Rawat is not going to canvass for the candidate.
As it is known to everyone that the Congress-led State Government did not give political posts to his supporters. Now their supporters, who were eagerly waiting to get accommodated as chairman or deputy chairman of different commission, are disappointed. In this circumstance how can I expect that they would canvass for meIJ With this announcement Maharaj gave severe jolt to Harish Rawat and CM, who was busy in having meeting for early execution of projects enroute to char dham Yatra, rushed to Delhi.
During discussion with Maharaj, CM Rawat has given assurance that cabinet minister Amrita Rawat, who is wife of MP Satpal Maharaj, would be given horticulture portfolio as well. Even CM spoke to cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat, who was given horticulture department in recent portfolio distribution, to relinquish the Ministry. During interaction Minister Rawat has categorically said “If Maharaj is ready to contest the lok Sabha election after giving Horticulture to Minister Amrita Rawat then he would not mind for reshuffling.”