U’khand: Congress leaders campaign for Champawat seat
RUDRAPUR: Senior Congress leaders have started a door-todoor campaign for party candidate Nirmala Gahtori who is contesting Champawat by-election against BJP nominee and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Voting for the by-election will take place on May 31 and counting of votes will take place on June 3.
“I will stay in Champawat constituency till May 28 and will campaign for our party candidate. The BJP is scaring our workers so they are refraining from canvassing. We will pose a challenge before BJP candidate Pushkar Singh Dhami. The BJP is misusing administrative machinery also,” said Congress leader and ex-CM Harish Rawat, who has been campaigning since Monday.
Since Dhami is contesting the election against 62-year-old Gahtori, she has been facing a severe challenge from the very beginning. The BJP had divided the constituency into five sectors and deployed cabinet ministers and MLAs in each sector to ensure Dhami’s victory.
On the contrary, senior leaders of Congress remained absent till May 17. Now, senior leader Rawat, leader of opposition Yashpal Arya, Congress state president Karan Mahara, former state president Ganesh Godiyal, Pritam Singh and some MLAs are seen campaigning in the constituency.
Gahtori said: “The BJP has snatched some of our senior leaders and workers and despite this due to threatening by BJP leaders, our workers are not campaigning with spirit. I have full confidence that voters, particularly women voters will cast their vote to Congress on the price hike, unemployment and corruption issues.”
Congress grabbed the Champawat seat in 2002 and 2012 assembly elections while the BJP won election from the seat in 2007, 2017 and 2022.
Rawat said: “Gahtori is our senior and grassroots level leader and symbol of women
empowerment. The BJP is spreading rumours that the Congress has given a walkover but the truth will come on polling day.”
“The Congress has no grain in its lap and the party’s candidate is hardly finding workers to walk along with her during campaigning. Congress leaders are unwilling to come here for campaigning. Their late arrival is its proof,” said Deep Chandra Pathak, BJP Champawat district president.
“It is true the Congress was defeated by the BJP with a margin of merely 5,296 votes in the assembly election held in February. Congress candidate is in trouble and she will hardly save her security,” said Amzad Hussain, BJP worker and former head of Manihar Goth village in Tanakpur.
Satish Joshi Sattu, an activist of Champawat, said: “Actually, the Congress declared its candidate but the senior leader kept a distance from coming and meeting the senior and groundlevel workers of Champawat constituency. Senior leaders were not spotted even one-party candidate’s nomination.”
“The BJP started its campaign even before the nomination process. Negligence of Congress leaders gave BJP a chance to sabotage the party which led the several Congress workers joining BJP,” Joshi said.