CM to decide on fate of PDF members: Ambika

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 3

In charge of party affairs in Uttarakhand Ambika Soni has left it to Chief Minister Harish Rawat to take a call on the future of the Progressive Democratic Front leaders before ticket allocation for the Assembly elections starts.

Ambika, who wrapped her two-day visit and left for New Delhi, held talks with PDF leaders Mantri Prasad Naithani and Dinesh Dhanai but she did not make any promise on the party ticket or ask the PDF leaders to fight on the Congress symbol.

“It has been left to the Chief Minister to decide on these leaders. Harish Rawat will decide whether they should be given party ticket or they should continue in coalition,” she said.

Significantly, due to a verbal duel between the PCC chief Kishore Upadhyay and the PDF members, especially Dinesh Dhanai, the latter had announced to contest the elections as an independent candidate while Preetam Panwar is also not keen to fight on the Congress ticket.

For most of these leaders, the Congress seems to be a losing proposition. Further with Upadhyay’s open opposition of the PDF, an attempt for a patch up is far fetched. Uncertainty continues to affect election preparations of the Congress.