Uttarakhand election: Will Harish Rawat’s change of seat help or hinder his prospects?

DEHRADUN: The surprise move by the Congress party of switching Harish Rawat’s seat from Ramnagar to Lalkuwa late on Wednesday evening has invited strong reactions from both party workers and political analysts. While some say that the move caused confusion within the party, others say that it made the Congress prospects even stronger.
The assembly polls are being considered a do-or-die situation for Rawat by many.The Congress leader, who is now 73, has previously said that this may be his last election. Experts said that it is critical for him to win this time in order to be considered for the chief minister’s post in case Congress gets a majority. Rawat is known for keeping his cards close to the chest and springing surprises in his choice of constituency. He surprised everyone by contesting from Kichha and Haridwar (rural) in 2017. Similarly, many were sure that he would contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Haridwar. However, he was fielded from the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat from where he lost to then-state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt. This time, Rawat was initially fielded from Ramnagar, considered a safe bet for the party. However, he was eventually shifted to the Lalkuwa seat due to internal opposition. Ranjit Rawat, his former protégé, who was eyeing the Ramnagar ticket, was said to be openly critical of the move to field Harish from the seat. .
Finally, Congress decided to field Mahendra Pal Singh from Ramnagar while Ranjit was given a ticket for the Salt seat, from where he has been a two-time MLA.
Political analyst Udit Ghildiyal told TOI, “Congress has tried to balance things and it seems that for the time being, a major clash among senior leaders has been averted.”
However, a party insider claimed that the switching of seats would lead to “confusion among the party members and voters.” “Rather than taking a last-minute decision, the party could have finalised the candidates some time back,” the party leader said.Political analyst Jay Singh Rawat was of the view that the change of candidates has made Congress a stronger force in Kumaon. “Now the issue between Harish and Rajnit Rawat has been sorted out and Mahendra Pal Singh is a good candidate from Ramnagar. The party stands a good chance of winning all three seats,” he said.