Seemingly taking lessons from the predicament of the BJP stalwart Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri who was projected as the party's Chief Ministerial face during the 2012 Assembly election, Chief Minister Harish Rawat is most likely to stay off the contest during the upcoming election due in a few months.
Notably, Khanduri who contested from Kotdwar constituency in Pauri district had to taste defeat at the hands of Congress candidate Surendra Singh Negi. The BJP's plight did not end here. The party was robbed of the opportunity to form the Government as the party finished winning 31 seats as against the Congress registering victory in 32 seats. The saffron camp was hammer and tongs against its CM face, ascribing its failure to form the Government to his humiliating defeat.
Sources privy to the CM, however, said that he would not get into the contest as he, being the generalissimo of the ruling party brigade, wants to be free from the debilitating encumbrances of the contest. "In case he bogs down in the heat and dust of the contest the BJP is all set to pull out all the stops to beat him at the hustings, a prospect that would deter him from campaigning for the party across the State as vigorously as he wants. In case the party wins contesting and winning from a safe constituency would be a much easier option. In this, he might follow in the footsteps of the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who got elected through a bye-election held months after the heat and dust of the election settled down," said a close aide of Harish Rawat.
However, things are still mired in speculative murkiness with the crafty CM being inclined to keep cards close to his chest till the final moment.
Sources further said that the CM is wary of plunging into the contest, given the fact that the survey held in several constituencies like Ramnagar, Khatima, Sahaspur and Mussoorie at his behest did not make him feel safe.
"The precedent is before us. Rawat who was in the Union Cabinet at the time did not contest the 2012 election. later, one of his staunch acolytes Harish Dhami, MlA from Dharchula, vacated the seat for him to contest in the bye-election. However, this time, Rawat is unlikely to repeat things. He might have his sons and daughters elected from some constituencies so that they can be easily persuaded to vacate in favour of their father to step in. It is almost certain that they would be given tickets to contest from one seat each in Garhwal and Kumaon divisions," a source said, adding that the master of manipulation, Harish Rawat would do everything to deprive BJP of the chance to make him resemble Khanduri in his pitiable plight.