There is often talk of unity in Uttarakhand Congress, but the picture on the ground looks different. The latest controversy is related to Ramnagar. There was so much opposition within the party regarding the joining of Ramnagar’s well-known grassroots leader and former block chief Sanjay Negi in Congress that the matter reached the high command. The result was that Sanjay Negi could not attend the joining program in which six former BJP leaders joined Congress.
Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat was so angry with this entire incident that he announced to take 15 days political leave and did not even attend the joining program himself. His absence was not a mere coincidence. This is an open expression of the factionalism going on within the Congress.
Sanjay Negi is not a new name in Ramnagar politics. In the 2022 assembly elections, he contested as an independent candidate from Ramnagar seat. His roots in politics are linked to his student life. Has contested elections from NSUI and has also held the post of block chief in Ramnagar area.
When Congress did not give him the ticket in 2022, he rebelled against the party and ran as an independent candidate. At that time also the question was raised that the internal politics of Congress pushed a strong local leader out of the party.
Sanjay Negi was not limited to just electoral politics. He had even given a warning of self-immolation to the villagers troubled by the tiger terror in Ramnagar area, which created panic in the forest department and administration. This shows that he has been in the role of an active public representative of this area and not just a political activist.
Sanjay Negi has also played an important role in Harish Rawat’s padyatra in Ramnagar. Sanjay Negi, as the senior block chief, had participated in Rawat’s padyatra with the demand of converting forest villages into revenue villages. This is why Rawat was so eager to bring him into the Congress.
On March 28, a big joining program took place at the central office of Congress in Delhi in which Rajkumar Thukral, Narayan Pal, Bhimlal Arya, Gaurav Goyal, Lakhan Singh and Anuj Gupta joined the Congress. But the name for which Harish Rawat was waiting remained missing from this program. Sanjay Negi, who is considered close to Harish Rawat, could not join Congress after all. Rawat expressed his displeasure through social media posts.
According to sources, some senior leaders of the state Congress were uneasy about Sanjay Negi’s joining from the beginning. His argument was that a leader who had fought as an independent against the party in 2022 should not be taken back so easily. But Harish Rawat’s opinion was completely different from this. He believes that in view of the 2027 assembly elections, it is necessary to take a strong grassroots leader along with him on an important seat like Ramnagar.
Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat was not present at the event as he had announced on Friday that he was taking 15-day retirement from politics. This is being seen as his displeasure with Congress. This resentment of Rawat is not new. He has said that new and talented youth in the party are not getting a chance to flourish politically, which is causing loss to the state. The tussle regarding Sanjay Negi’s joining is related to this thinking.
In a special conversation with ABP News, Sanjay Negi openly said that if Congress does not give him a ticket in the 2027 elections, then he along with his supporters can contest from any other party or as an independent. This statement is a clear indication to the Congress that if they are ignored then the equations on Ramnagar seat may get disturbed once again.
Same thing happened in 2022 also. Even at that time, Sanjay Negi’s entry as an independent had proved to be harmful for the Congress, due to which the Congress lost the Ramnagar seat.
Ramnagar is one of those seats in Uttarakhand, where Congress has been trying to establish its hold for a long time. Even before 2022, there were many Congress contenders in Ramnagar. Working State President Ranjit Rawat, Deputy Senior Chief Sanjay Negi, former status holder Pushkar Durgapal and Mahila Congress District President Asha Bisht all had claimed for the ticket. Even then the party could not come to a consensus.
Now 2027 is coming closer and it is important for Congress to come together in Ramnagar. But the way the wheels were blocked from within regarding Sanjay Negi’s joining, it is clear that the factionalism in the party has not stopped yet.
Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s 15-day leave is perhaps an indication that the party will have to resolve its internal disputes first, otherwise it will be difficult to hold the field in the assembly elections.
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