Uttarakhand Election 2022: Will work for Cong, it will form govt, says expelled minister Harak Singh Rawat

A day after being sacked from the state government and barred from primary membership in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for six years, Uttarakhand minister Harak Singh Rawat announced his intention to join the Congress party. Rawat, who represents the Kotdwar constituency in the state legislature, claimed on Monday that the BJP didn't even speak to him once before making such a significant decision.'

Speaking to the media, he said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi invited him to a meeting in Delhi. However, there was a slight delay owing to traffic. Rawat said he had planned to see Joshi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, but as soon as he arrived in Delhi, he read that the BJP had kicked him out on social media.

Rawat also grieved when discussing his removal from the Uttarakhand BJP Cabinet. He said he would have resigned from the BJP four years ago; further, Rawat said he had no desire to be a minister; all he wanted was work. He went on to say that he will work for the Congress Party and that the party will establish the government in Uttarakhand.

Also Read | Uttarakhand Election 2022: Harak Singh Rawat sacked from state cabinet, expelled from BJP for 6 years

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that Rawat was exerting pressure on the party by demanding party tickets for his family members. Rawat was alleged to be pursuing a Lansdowne constituency ticket for his daughter-in-law Anukriti Gusain as well as a seat move for himself. Rawat was one of ten MLAs that defected from the Harish Rawat-led Congress administration in Uttarakhand in 2016 and joined the BJP. The move comes ahead of the Uttarakhand polls, which are slated to take place in a single phase on February 14.

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• BJP
• Congress
• Harak Singh Rawat
• Uttarakhand Election 2022
• Uttarakhand
• Amit Shah