The weather played spoilsport with Congress candidate from Tehri parliamentary constituency, Saket Bahuguna's nomination programme on Thursday, though a large number of supporters had gathered for the public meet held on the Parade Ground.
The public meet began about an hour late due to the rain and while senior party leaders addressed the gathering, the temporary structure put up to shelter the gathering collapsed due to the strong winds blowing amid light rain which caused panic among party supporters, though no one was reportedly injured. The party candidate Saket Bahuguna, meanwhile, filed his nomination at the Collectorate accompanied by his father, ex-CM and former Tehri MP Vijay Bahuguna, Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Yashpal Arya and Rajpur Road MlA Rajkumar.
The Congress candidate expressed confidence about his chances of victory based on the developmental efforts undertaken by the Congress-led State Government and his own activeness in the segment.Addressing media persons at the Collectorate after filing his nomination papers, Saket Bahuguna said that the voters of Tehri constituency would reject the sitting MP from BJP Mala Rajya laxmi Shah as she had done little for facilitating development in the constituency.
He expressed confidence that the voters would favour him as he had remained active in the constituency even after losing the Tehri parliamentary bypoll 2012 to Shah.
Earlier, party leaders, including Cabinet ministers Indira Hridayesh, SS Negi, former cabinet minister Hira Singh Bisht, lt Gen (retd) TPS Rawat, PCC vice president Suryakant Dhasmana, eunuch social worker Rajni Rawat, lt Gen (retd) GS Negi, MlAs AP Maikhuri, Navprabhat, Vijay Pal Sajwan, Subodh Uniyal, Umesh Sharma 'Kau' and others addressed the gathering. later, by the time Saket Bahuguna returned to the Parade Ground after filing his nomination papers, the temporary shelter at the venue had collapsed so he climbed atop a four wheeler along with CM Harish Rawat, PCC chief Yashpal Arya, Vijay Bahuguna, former Tehri MlA Kishore Upadhyaya and others. Their return brought out party supporters who were sheltering from the rain outside the Samajwadi Party office and boxing ring shelter on Parade Ground.
Rawat exhorted the party workers to unite their efforts to ensure Saket Bahuguna's victory.Arya said that the lok Sabha election 2014 was a test for Congress members and supporters and that they need to pass this test with flying colours. He exhorted party workers to ensure that the Congress candidates win by record margins.