Cong names 63 candidates in Uttarakhand

The Congress on Sunday released its list of 63 candidates for Assembly elections in Uttarakhand with Chief Minister Harish Rawat contesting from two seats.

Rawat, who represents Dharchula Assembly seat in the Kumaon hills, has shifted to the plains. He will be in the fray from Haridwar Rural and Kichha Assembly seats.

The move to Kichha is aimed at bolstering the party’s presence in Udham Singh Nagar district, which is considered to be a stronghold of the BJP.

Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh is contesting from her pocket borough Haldwani, while AICC secretary Prakash Joshi is testing his popularity from Kaladhungi.

Uttarakhand Congress president Kishor Upadhyay has been fielded from Sahaspur constituency of Dehradun.

Mantri Prasad Naithani, an Independent MLA and a Cabinet minister in the Rawat government, is in the fray from Devprayag as a Congress candidate.

Former BJP MLA Suresh Chandra Jain is in the fray from Roorkee, while minister Surendra Singh Negi will test his luck from Kotdwar.

Soon after the list was announced, aspirants whose names did not figure in the list went on a rampage at the Congress office in Dehradun.
DH News Service