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Journalism of Courage
The Congress has fielded Surendra Singh Negi against Chief Minister B C Khanduri in the Kotdwar constituency in the Assembly polls in Uttarakhand.
The Congress on Friday named its nominees for 65 of the 70 constituencies,while the BJP announced its candidates for all the remaining 22 seats.
Negi,a former legislator,is the best bet for the Congress to take on the Chief Minister,who is faced with a revolt by the followers of Shailendra Singh Rawat,sitting BJP MLA. Rawat was denied a ticket to make way for the Chief Minister.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Harak Singh Rawat will contest against Irrigation Minister Matbar Singh Kandari BJP in Rudraprayag. A veteran of electoral battles,Kandari has won five elections in the past. Harak Singh Rawat represented Lansdown in the present Assembly. Kandari and Rawat are also related to each other.
State Congress president Yashpal Arya will contest the Bajpur reserved constituency. He is an MLA from Mukteshwar in the present Assembly. The BJP has fielded Rajesh Kumar against him. Sarita Arya,related to the state president,is the Congress candidate from Bhimtal. Rewati Joshi will challenge state BJP president Bishan Singh Chufal from Didihat. The Congress has nominated former minister Nav Prabhat,a close relation of former chief minister N D Tewari,from the Vikasnagar constituency. The BJP has re-nominated Kuldeep Singh,MLA,against him. Sitting legislator Amrita Rawat,wife of Lok Sabha member Satpal Maharaj,has been retained as the Congress candidate from Ramnagar. Karan Mehra,who is related to Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat,has been given the Congress ticket from Ranikhet.
The Congress has withheld the names of its candidates against former chief minister Ramesh Pokhryal Nishank Doiwala and Assembly Speaker Harbansh Kapoor Dehradun Cantt. The party has also kept in abeyance the names of its candidates for the Muslim-dominated Sahaspur constituency,Gadarpur and Kichha. The BJP has fielded sitting MLA Arvind Pandey in Gadarpur.
The BJP has rewarded with tickets the two legislators Diwakar Bhatt Devprayag and Om Gopal Rawat Narendranagar who had been elected to the Assembly as Uttarakhand Kranti Dal UKD nominees in the last elections and had later switched their loyalty to the ruling party.
