By Gajendra Singh Negi
Congress’ card
The anointment of formidable and non-controversial Ganesh Godiyal as head of Uttarakhand Congress and assignment of key positions of campaign committee chairman and head of election management committee to Pritam Singh and Harak Singh Rawat respectively, is being described as a masterstroke by party high command of Congress. The swift move has not only brought the politically sensitive Garhwal region back into focus of party’s election strategy ( Godiyal, Pritam Singh and Harak hail from Garhwal) but has also given a strong message to the powerful Brahmin community ( Godiyal is Brahmin) which had shifted allegiance to BJP in the last decade. The onus is now on Godiyal to constitute his new team as soon as possible, a task which his predecessor had failed to accomplish. Congress sympathisers are hoping that considering the skills he possesses, Godiyal is likely to rejuvenate and forge unity in the faction ridden grand old party which has suffered humiliating defeats in all the elections since 2014.
Cabinet expansion
Congress high command’s swift move to change the leadership at helm in Uttarakhand Congress and bring the party in an election mode seems to have caught the ruling BJP off- guard in the Himalayan State. The party, which is ruling the State from 2017 and has won parliamentary elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024 and assembly elections of 2017 and 2022, needs to beat the anti-incumbency and fatigue factors to retain power in the State in the assembly elections of 2027. The divisive issues of Plain versus Pahad and the caste and regional equations have cropped up prominently in recent times much to the discomfiture of the saffron leadership in the State. In such a scenario, it is likely that the BJP leadership can go ahead with the expansion of Pushkar Singh Dhami government soon. As many as five berths in the Dhami cabinet are vacant from quite some time now and by accommodating young and dynamic leaders, the party could boost the morale of the cadre and balance caste and regional equations in its favour.
Prompt action
The Nainital district administration deserves praise for its prompt action against the culprits who attacked a journalist while he was shooting a report in front of an alleged illegal construction in Haldwani. Irked by the audacity of the journalist, two miscreants at the behest of the encroachers attacked him and pushed him down into a 20 feet deep drain due to which he sustained injuries. Following the widespread condemnation of the heinous attack and cognisance by the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Police arrested the duo and on the orders of Nainital district magistrate Lalit Mohan Rayal, the illegal construction was razed to the ground by a team of administration. By taking a timely and stern action, the administration has succeeded in giving a stern message to the miscreants and the encroachers.
