Kedarnath BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat died late Tuesday night in hospital after being on ventilator support, for the past two days, due to a backbone injury. Rawat, who was 68, had been admitted to Max Hospital in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, where she had been in a critical condition even after her surgery. A few months ago, she suffered a spinal cord fracture after falling down the stairs at Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath. State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his condolences and said there has been an “irreparable loss” for the party and the people of the area. “Received the very sad news of the demise of a popular MLA from Kedarnath Assembly, Smt Shaila Rani Rawat ji…her dedication to duty and public service will always be remembered. I pray to God to give a place to the departed soul in his lotus feet and give strength to the bereaved family and supporters to bear this immense loss. Om Shanti,” Dhami posted on X. In 2012, Rawat first won the Kedarnath seat on a Congress ticket, defeating BJP candidate Asha. A year before the next Vidhan Sabha elections, in 2016, Shaila Rani Rawat joined eight other Congress rebel legislators to join hands with the BJP against then Chief Minister Harish Rawat to dislodge his Congress government. The 70-member House — the 71st is a nominated member — was placed in suspended animation and the state was put under the president’s rule. Shaila Rani then contested from Kedarnath on a BJP ticket in 2017 and came in fourth after Congress candidate Manoj Rawat and two independent candidates – Asha and Kuldeep Singh Rawat. During her campaign in this year, she fell and suffered internal injuries.After nearly three years of treatment, she returned home healthy and resumed her political career, winning the Vidhan Sabha seat after 10 years in 2022.
