Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat is going to face a tough challenge from former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat in the claim of Congress ticket for Ridwar Lok Sabha seat. The way both the leaders are targeting each other in the war of words.
Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat is going to face a tough challenge from former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat in the claim of Congress ticket for Haridwar Lok Sabha seat. It is almost clear from the way both the leaders are targeting each other in the war of words. Victim card is also being used as a stake in ticket claim.
Irrespective of who gets success in the race to get the ticket amid the betting, but the game of polarization of votes through the Victim card has already started. Even before the Lok Sabha elections in the Congress, the tussle between the senior leaders of the party regarding the ticket for Haridwar seat has intensified. Harish Rawat, who was a Member of Parliament earlier from this seat, has made up his mind to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Haridwar.
Harish Rawat, who was MP from this seat in the year 2009, is very active in this Lok Sabha constituency. His desire to contest from this seat in the last Lok Sabha elections remained unfulfilled. He had to lose the Nainital Lok Sabha seat when the matter of getting a ticket to a local caught fire. Losing the election from the Haridwar Rural seat of this Lok Sabha constituency in the year 2017 has also been considered as a major reason behind lagging behind in the race to get Haridwar ticket in the year 2019.
Harish Rawat is excited about the victory of daughter Anupama Rawat in the Haridwar Rural seat in the assembly elections held in the year 2022 and Congress getting success in five assembly seats of Haridwar. His enthusiasm faded when Harak Singh Rawat emerged as a strong contender from within the party. If Harish Rawat is a staunch player of the state’s politics, then Harak Singh Rawat has been counted among the bullies of electoral politics.
Out of 14 assembly seats in Haridwar Lok Sabha constituency, three seats are from Rishikesh, Doiwala and Dharampur Dehradun district. The voters of these three seats played an important role in Harish Rawat’s victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Harak Singh’s eyes are also fixed on the voters of these three seats. In order to weaken Harak’s claim, Harish Rawat has attacked Harak Singh without naming him in a program in Roorkee in the past.
In the year 2016, Harak Singh was also involved in the rebellion against the Congress government under his leadership. Taking this victim card forward, Harish Rawat has declared Harak Singh as the criminal of the year 2016. Not only this, he also said that Harak Singh should first make atonement and work in the elections. His claim will be looked into further.
At the same time, Harak Singh Rawat also did not delay in retaliating. Without naming Harish Rawat, he said that it is okay if those who lose 10-10 elections don’t talk like this. If he loses two consecutive elections, he will leave politics. Why didn’t Harish Rawat refuse when Rahul and Priyanka included him in the Congress? Harak made a strongly worded comment that he is not going to back down in the race for the ticket. Harak Singh is also moving forward on the strategy of presenting himself as a Victim in front of Harish Rawat. Betrayal and counter-allegations against each other have made the ticket battle interesting.
