CM’s son hopeful of Cong win in Bhagwanpur

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 28

Anand Rawat, son of Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary, today claimed that party candidate Mamta Rakesh would emerge victorious with a record margin.

Anand Rawat said besides Congress workers and supporters, Mamta would get the support of followers of late Cabinet minister and two-time Bhagwanpur legislator Surendra Rakesh, whose demise necessitated the byelection.

He cited mass development works done during Surendra Rakesh’s tenure as legislator and said Chief Minister Harish Rawat was himself taking special interest in projects in Bhagwanpur as the constituency falls in the parliamentary seat he had held before becoming Chief Minister. Local people want only the Congress to serve them, he added.

Asked about party leader Master Satyapal Singh showing dissent by filing nomination paper as an Independent candidate and later withdrawing it, Anand Rawat said Satyapal had taken this step in haste.

“Satyapal contested on Congress ticket last time. He is a loyal and senior party leader. Some decisions were taken considering the situation or people, it was one of them. He will be campaigning for Mamta Rakesh in the Assembly segment. There is no rift or issues. I held a meeting with him along with PCC vice president Joth Singh Bisht at Bhagwanpur yesterday,” he said.

The BJP and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) have fielded candidates, while the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party are supporting Mamta Rakesh. Both BJP and the UKD should follow suit and withdraw their candidates against Mamta Rakesh, he added.

Anand Rawat praised the working of Harish Rawat and his Cabinet and said people of this hill state were quite happy due to development and corruption free governance being provided by the Congress and this would prove beneficial for the party in the 2017 Assembly elections.