Former minister and expelled BJP leader Harak Singh Rawat today returned to the Congress party in Uttarakhand ahead of the assembly elections scheduled in the state on February 14. He joined the Congress in the presence of former CM Harish Rawat and other senior leaders. Welcoming him to the party, the Congress said that Harak Singh’s return shows that the political wind has changed its direction in the state. It said that Harak Singh’s experience and connection with the public will strengthen the party.
Harak Singh said that the Congress party’s victory with a clear majority will be his true apology to the party. He had joined the BJP in 2016 after deserting the Congress which was in power at that time. Former CM Harish Rawat, who was heading the government then, had also advised against Rawat’s return to the Congress by reminding them of the 2016 incident.
“When Congress wins with the full majority on March 10, that’ll be my apology. BJP thought of me as a ‘use and throw’ and I was very upset due to it….I didn’t break my friendship with Home Minister Amit Shah till the last moment, as I had promised,” Harak Singh Rawat said. He had met senior Congress leadership in New Delhi on January 19 and had promised to win at least 10 seats for the party.
The BJP had acted first by expelling him from the party allegedly after he tried to put pressure on the party leadership to give tickets to his daughter-in-law Anukriti Gusain. He had, however, denied the allegations.
Harak Singh Rawat is an MLA from the Kotdwar seat and is likely to get a ticket from the seat this time as well. According to reports, he wanted a ticket for his daughter-in-law from Lansdowne. Local Congress leaders had warned the party against fielding Gusain from the constituency.
Voting in Uttarakhand will be held in a single phase on February 14 and counting of votes will be done on March 10.
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