Singh agrees to support Congress candidate
Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyaya managed to placate local party leader SP Singh who was earlier hinting at contesting the Assembly bypolls from the Doiwala constituency as an independent candidate.
Singh was unhappy with the decision to field former Cabinet Minister Hira Singh Bisht from Doiwala constituency and had purchased a nomination form to contest the polls as an independent candidate.
However, he withdrew his plan and assured his support to the Congress candidate after Upadhyaya and Cabinet Minister Pritam Singh visited his residence and held talks with him for about an hour.
It will be recalled that after Bisht was declared the Congress candidate from Doiwala, Singh had objected to this and had purchased a nomination form.
According to Singh and his supporters, he had rejoined the Congress during the recently concluded parliamentary elections at a time when leaders were leaving the party.
Regarding the party candidate from Doiwala for the Assembly bypolls, Singh had said that he had rejoined the Congress following party vice president Rahul Gandhi’s stress on according importance to young leaders but was disappointed after Bisht was fielded from Doiwala inspite of having lost the Assembly election 2012 from this constituency.
It will be recalled that during the 2012 elections, BJP candidate Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ had won from Doiwala constituency with 23448 votes while Congress candidate Hira Singh Bisht had polled 22,176 votes with SP Singh contesting as an independent candidate receiving 11,241 votes.
Had Singh remained with the Congress at that time, the votes cast in his favour would have helped the Congress candidate win by a comfortable margin. Fearing a repeat of the same scenario in the Assembly bypolls in this segment, PCC chief Kishore Upadhyaya and cabinet minister Pritam Singh reached SP Singh’s residence on Thursday and held talks with him for about an hour.
While Singh said that he would work to ensure a victory for the Congress candidate, Upadhyaya said that Singh had no grievance with the party now and would strengthen the Congress. Singh would be accorded the ‘respect’ due to him, added Upadhyaya.