Uttarakhand Min Harak Singh Rawat's Delhi visit rekindles buzz of him joining Congress

Tongues have once again begun to wag with Uttarakhand Minister of Forest and Environment and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Harak Singh Rawat flying to Delhi on Sunday. Sources informed Republic Media Network that while in the national capital, Rawat will be holding meetings with the Congress high command, and mull over joining the party. Rawat's daughter-in-law Anukreethy Gosai may join the party with him as early as Monday, sources further said. 

Rawat's jumping ship to Congress would be a major jolt for the BJP ahead of the Uttarakhand assembly elections. The election for the 70-member assembly will be held in one phase on February 14. The counting of votes and the declaration of results will be held on March 10. 

Harak Singh Rawat joining Congress?

Things have not been all that well between Rawat and the BJP for the past few months. Last month, the Minister had tendered his resignation from the cabinet. Attacking Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami-led BJP government, the Kotdwar MLA had expressed anger over the government's indecision to his demand for approval for the medical college in Kotdwar. Thereafter, a meeting was convened and he was convinced to take back his resignation. 

Everything was fine thereafter until the topic of tickets for the elections came up. Having hinted at wanting a shift from Kotdwar, reports suggest the Uttar Pradesh Minister asked for a ticket from Kedarnath which already had numerous leaders in the fray like Shaila Rani Rawat. Not just that, he also demanded a ticket for his daughter-in-law Anukreethy Gosai from Lansdowne. 

Amid tension with the party, in an exclusive conversation Republic, Rawat had said, "I am not changing the party, and will remain with the BJP. Right now, I don't know from where will I fight the election. I will fight from where the party wants me to fight."

However, he gave the BJP's core-committee meet called on Sunday a miss, raising speculation that he may be considering switching to Congress. 

Having served as an MLA in both Uttar Pradesh as well as Uttarakhand, he has been a part of BSP and Congress in the past. Switching allegiance from the Sonia Gandhi-led party to BJP in 2017, he won from the Kotdwar Assembly constituency and became a Minister in the state government.

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