Cong strikes Garhwal-Kumaon balance ahead of 2027 polls

Dehradun: In a bid to strike a regional balance ahead of the 2027 assembly polls, Congress has recalibrated its strategy by focusing on both Garhwal and Kumaon, with a renewed emphasis on regaining lost ground in Garhwal.The move comes after the party's poor performance in the region in 2022, when it managed to win just 8 of the 41 seats across seven districts, while the remaining 11 seats came from Kumaon.To correct this imbalance, the party has once again brought Ganesh Godiyal, a key face from Garhwal, into a prominent role, along with assigning crucial responsibilities to senior leaders Pritam Singh and Harak Singh Rawat in election management. At the same time, it continues to retain Kumaon representation through Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya, while Harish Rawat remains an influential figure in the region.In the last assembly polls, Congress had a limited presence in Garhwal, winning one seat each in Chamoli, Tehri and Dehradun and five in Haridwar, while failing to open its account in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Pauri. The party now appears to be working to bridge this gap by strengthening its organisational and campaign structure in the region.Congress chief spokesperson Garima Dasauni told TOI, "A number of senior members from Garhwal region have been given key responsibilities so that they can connect with people in their area and raise regional issues."She said the party is aiming to divide the poll campaign into two sections — state issues and assembly-wise issues. "Seniors like Pritam Singh, Harak Singh Rawat and Ganesh Godiyal are extremely influential in their respective areas and, keeping this factor in mind, they have been given key responsibilities," she added. A poll analyst said the party's renewed focus on Garhwal is critical to its comeback prospects, noting that the region holds 41 of the 70 seats. "If the party wants to make a comeback, it will have to make a strong pitch in Garhwal, which has 41 seats out of 70. Haridwar and Dehradun alone make up 21 constituencies. They will have to think about things that went wrong in 2022 and work on them for better results."