The ex-CM may contest as an Independent
The lok Sabha election for the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat is likely going to be a triangular electoral battle this time with veteran ND Tiwari also signalling to throw his hat in the ring as an Independent candidate.
Though a decision is yet to be taken about Tiwari's contesting from this seat, his close aides have not ruled out such possibility. “He has not yet decided to contest from the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar lok Sabha constituency. But he (Tiwari) may contest keeping in view people's sentiments,” Bhawani Dutt Bhatt, OSD to former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand ND Tiwari, told The Pioneer.
“He (Tiwari) is quite disappointed the way the Congress party has been treating him. He was not even once asked before finalising party candidate from this seat,” said Bhatt, adding, he (Tiwari) may take a decision in this regard in larger public interests soon.
The Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar has always been a traditional Congress turf where it has had a direct electoral fight with the BJP. Though over a period of time, some regional parties like UKD, BSP and SP, to name a few, have also registered their presence in this seat to some extent, they have never been able to become an alternative to either the Congress Party or the BJP.
Therefore, entering of veteran Congressman Tiwari who had represented the aforesaid seat thrice in the past i.e. in 1980, 1996 and 1999, into the fray has worried the Congress party's poll strategists here who are sure to retain the aforesaid seat in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The matter of fact is that former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand may not win this seat but his presence in the fray may upset poll equations of other parties. He may cause maximum damage to the Congress because Tiwari has been a staunch Congressman with a huge appeal among different segments of the society cutting across party ideologies.
Apart from his popularity, his contribution to the development of the region is also a factor that has always strengthened his linkages with the masses. Among a lot of popular works that he carried out during his days as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Tiwari was also instrumental in establishing an HMT unit at Kathgodam and promoting industrialisation in the hill State. The interesting fact is that people here still remember him for his contribution to the development of this region.
Tiwari came out of his political wilderness recently after settling down the long drawn paternal issue accepting Rohit Shekhar as his son. He had extensively travelled in different Assembly segments of this lok Sabha constituency along with his son Rohit Shekhar and his mother Ujjawala Sharma to gauge the mood of the voters of this constituency in second fortnight of the previous month. Congress leaders were quite apprehensive about Tiwari's public engagement here during those days.
However, if Tiwari contests from this seat now as an independent candidate as his close aides have not ruled out such possibility, after the Congress Party denying him ticket, the triangular contest is will be interesting to see in the upcoming elections this summer as prestige of regional satraps like BJPs' Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and two-time MP from this seat KC Singh Baba is at stake.