Rawat gains, Cong to fight civic polls on party symbol

With the Congress deciding to fight the forthcoming Uttaranchal local bodies elections on the party symbol, party chief Harish Rawat has scored a victory against Chief Minister and rival N.D. Tiwari.

Elections to the Dehradun Municipal Corporation and 52 other municipal councils are scheduled to be held on February 1. While the Chief Minister has been against the idea of using the party symbol in the local bodies and panchayat elections, Rawat impressed upon the central party leadership the need to fight the ensuing elections on the party symbol.

Legislators belonging to the Rawat camp also went ahead and aired their grievances against the CM during the recent visit of party general secretary Motilal Vohra and secretary Subodh Kant Sahay to the state. They demanded that if the high command appoints a new PCC chief in place of Rawat, who has been elected to the RS, the new leader should be from their group.