CONGRESS RELEASES LIST OF 40 STAR CAMPAIGNERS FOR UTTARAKHAND. PRIYANKA, RAHUL, KHARGE, SHELJA, SALMAN KHURSHID & HARISH RAWAT INCLUDED

The Congress party has released the list of 40 star campaigners for Uttarakhand which include national Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, former union minister Salman Khurshid, Kumari SHELJA , Yashpal Arya, Pritam Singh ,former union minister and Congress Uttarakhand in-charge, Alka Lamba, former CM Harish Rawat, Uttarakhand Congress chief Karan Mahara and former Congress ministers n senior leaders etc. Though the long list of 40 star campaigners for Uttarakhand has been released but mainly Rahul, Priyanka and party’s national chief Mallikarjun Kharge need to visit this state frequently if they really want to give a credible fight to BJP as the ruling party candidates are not only extremely busy in their campaigning compared to Congress candidates but are also having no dearth of leaders, star campaigners, money, resources and cadre. There are reports that Congress party is in strong fight in Pauri Garhwal and Almora constituencies where its candidates Ganesh Godiyal and former MP Pradeep Tamta are giving strong fight to the BJP candidates Anil Baluni and Ajay Tamata, former union minister. However, Harish Rawat, former CM who is tremendously busy in campaigning for his son Virendra Rawat against the BJP’s candidate former CM and BJP heavy weight Trivendra Rawat has claimed that on Haridwar seat too Congress is in strong fight with its BJP rival. Meanwhile, former Congress CM Harish Rawat has in a statement categorically said that Congress is weak in Uttarakhand as its leaders and cadres are not active and have become lazy whereas the ruling party candidates in Uttarakhand are extremely active despite being in power. Rawat said that the Congress workers and local leaders should ensure that they should at any cost defeat BJP and encash the opportunity to its advantage. It may be recalled that the BJP has been winning on all the five parliamentary constituencies for the last ten years and if Congress workers and leaders really work hard they can encash on the anti incumbency factor. Rawat said that on Pauri Garhwal parliamentary seat the Congress candidate Ganesh Godiyal is giving a strong fight and so is Pradeep Tamata on Almora seat adding that in Haridwar too we are trying our best to challenge the BJP strongly. Kindly recall that the Congress candidates were declared quite late as compared to the BJP candidates who got lot of time to campaign at the grass roots. The candidates in Haridwar and Nainital seats were declared too late giving BJP candidates Trivendra Rawat and former union state minister and sitting MP from Nainital Ajay Bhatt, enough time to make inroads in various nooks and corners of their constituencies. Moreover, it doesn’t seem that Congress high command is taking much interest in Uttarakhand elections. The chief observer and in-charge of Uttarakhand Congress Kumari Shailja has till now not formulated any campaign strategy nor has held any credible meeting with all the five candidates of Uttarakhand to formulate a strategy. Moreover, the Congress party is suffering from budget crunch after the income tax department has created deliberate bottlenecks on its way not only taking out Rs 135 crores as penalty from Congress accounts but has also levied penalties of several hundred crores as well to cripple it financially. This is the first time in the history of Congress party perhaps that its candidates are penniless as the party has not got ven any money to them and the Congress candidates have furnished their account numbers asking for donations including votes from electorates. In addition to this, the party in Uttarakhand is faction ridden and several of its leaders, former MLAs and a sitting MLA has already joined BJP including Harish Rawat’s close confidant joining it just two days ago.

Meanwhile according to the latest reports prime minister Narendra Modi would be extensively campaigning in Pauri Garhwal , Tehri and Haridwar constituencies as MD may address a massive public meetings at Srinagar, Kichcha and Rookie including at Rishikesh in 11 th and 12 th April. There are also reports of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath addressing rallies at the above places.