Speculations about Chowbattakhal becoming a hot seat with Dr. Rawat to be Congress candidate against BJP heavy weight Satpal Maharaj

After the declaration of the first list of Congress party of 53 candidates with Chowbatta Khal, Ram Nagar and Lansdowne seats still undeclared, there are indications of all these three seats becoming hot seats.

According to the latest speculations while the chief Congress strategist Harish Rawat may get the ticket from Ram Nagar, demoralising his strong opponent within the party Ranjit Rawat, a strong claimant earlier, in Chowbatta Khal former cabinet minister, now in Congress Harak Singh Rawat is reportedly being asked to face the BJP heavy weight and sitting lawmaker Satpal Maharaj.

However, in Lansdowne Dr. Rawat’s daughter in law Anukriti Gusain would be facing the two term sitting lawmaker of BJP Mahant Dilip Singh Rawat, son of the former deputy speaker and several terms MLA late Bharat Singh Rawat.

The former cabinet minister Dr. Rawat has confirmed that he was approached by the party incharge of Uttarakhand Devendra Yadav and Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal asking him if he would be ready to confront Satpal Maharaj from Chowbattakhal to which he replied in affirmation. Currently there are number if claimants from this constituency with Rajpal Rawat who lost to Satpal Maharaj in 2017 by over 7000 votes being the strongest aspirant.

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The Congress election campaign committee chairman Harish Rawat had campaigned for him recently.

Rajpal had got the ticket in 2017 after the intervention of then Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

After the emergence of the name of Dr. Harak Singh Rawat as a probable candidate against BJP’s heavy weight Satpal Maharaj, Chowbattakhal is bound to become a hot seat with fight between both the Rawats becoming extremely interesting and sort of a neck to neck fight.

There seems to be anti incumbency against PWD n tourism minister Satpal Rawat reveal sources as he had become active in his constituency only six months ago.

Currently there are two candidates in this constituency, one, Satpal Maharaj of BJP and another of AAP’s Digmohan Singh Negi. However, a UKD candidate Annu Rawat is, also working in this cionstituency for years and is bound to give a strong fight say Inkar Singh Negi, a former Army officer.

The name of Congress candidates have not been declared till yet with names of Dr. Harak Singh Rawat n Rajpal Rawat doing the rounds with the former on the top.

However, there are also reports that if Dr. Rawat’s name is declared as Congress nominee, there will be revolt against him by the aspiring Congress candidates.

It may be recalled that Dr. Harak Singh had earlier also demanded ticket from either Kedarnath, Doiwala, Raipur or Chowbattakhal while in BJP and even after being expelled, likely to join Congress. He had also asked for a ticket for his daughter in law Anukriti Gusain from Lansdowne, but the Congress had put forth a pre condition of giving only one ticket in a family.

Desperate to join Congress, Dr. Rawat had then accepted the pre condition being satisfied for her daughter in law getting Congress ticket from Lansdowne.

He said that he will extensively campaign for the Congress party and ensure that BJP is defeated badly to pay back to Congress as a token of redemption for committing a blunder of destabilising the Congress government in 2016 n joining BJP.

Chowbatta Khal constituency in Pauri Garhwal district is a constituency dominated by nearly seventy percent Rajput voters.

All the three candidates of Congress, AAP and BJP, if the names of Dr Rawat or Rajpal Rawat is cleared will be from Rajput community with Brahmin and SC votes playing a pivotal role, including the votes of ex-servicemen as there will be division in Rajput community votes among three candidates. There is a single brahmin candidate Annu Pant from Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, but due to lack of resources and party’s impact his victory seems to be doubtful.