Uttarakhand Congress Factionalism Out In Open Again: AICC In-charge Kumari Selja Asks Harish Rawat To Drop His Yatra, Says Parallel Programmes Not In Party Interest
Uttarakhand Congress Factionalism Out In Open Again: AICC In-charge Kumari Selja Asks Harish Rawat To Drop His Yatra, Says Parallel Programmes Not In Party Interest
Dehradun/New Delhi: With assembly elections just a few months away in early 2027, Uttarakhand Congress is once again struggling to hide its internal factionalism, with the senior-most leader Harish Rawat at the centre of a fresh controversy.
AICC General Secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja, MP, has written a strong letter to former Chief Minister Harish Rawat on 1st October, 2026, directing him not to go ahead with his proposed Yatra in the state.
In the letter, a copy of which is in possession of this correspondent, Selja says:
“It has come to our notice that you are undertaking a Yatra in the State. This has neither been discussed with the undersigned nor with the PCC President. You have also, reportedly, made certain controversial statements recently. The State elections are to be held in the next few months and the Party must put up a united front. You will appreciate that any such parallel programme at this juncture will not be in the interest of the Party. You may therefore not go ahead with these programmes.”
The letter has been marked to AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, indicating the seriousness with which the high command is viewing Rawat’s independent political activity.
Sources in the state Congress say Selja, who has been tasked to forge unity to fight the ruling BJP tooth and nail to form the next government in 2027, considers Rawat’s solo mobilisation as a bottleneck in her efforts. Despite clear-cut instructions from the Congress high command to work unitedly giving up vested interests, Rawat, who still harbours the ambition to emerge as the chief ministerial face, is accused of promoting his own group.
The 77-year-old Rawat, who is a Permanent Invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and remains the tallest mass leader of the party in the hill state, has often been charged by his rivals within the party of running a parallel organization. His controversial statements in the recent past, including on ticket distribution, have added to the discomfort.
Political observers say the letter has exposed the deep divide just when the Congress was trying to project itself as a united alternative to the BJP. While Kumari Selja wants a collective leadership under PCC chief, Rawat’s camp feels that without his charisma and experience, the Congress cannot return to power.
Harish Rawat is yet to react publicly to the letter.
