In A Blow To Congress, Uttarakhand Leader Rastogi Rajesh Resigns, Says 'Dynastic Politics' Finishing Party

Rajesh Rastogi, an advocate, and a grassroots leader, criticises former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat for "getting" a ticket for his son from the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat.

File photo of Uttarakhand PCC general secretary and state chief of Seva Dal, Rajesh Rastogi ( Image Source :@RajeshRastogi11 )

In another blow to the Congress party in Uttarakhand ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, PCC general secretary and state chief of Seva Dal, Rajesh Rastogi, tendered his resignation from all positions on Tuesday, citing the detrimental impact of dynastic politics on the party.

Rastogi, an advocate, and a grassroots leader, criticises former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat for "getting" a ticket for his son from the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat.

In his resignation letter addressed to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, PCC president Karan Mahara, and party in-charge for Uttarakhand, Kumari Selja, Rastogi said the "growing dominance of dynastic politics is finishing the party".

He charged that the Uttarakhand Congress leaders were selling tickets and encouraging factionalism, claiming that if these things were not under control, Congress would not be able to play a part in the opposition, PTI quoted saying.

Had CM's Face Been An Honest Leader, Congress Would Have Retained Power In Uttarakhand: Rastogi

Rastogi asserted that the Congress would have retained power in Uttarakhand if an honest leader with a clean image like Pritam Singh had been projected as the chief ministerial candidate in the 2017 assembly elections. "Congress party may have cancelled my ticket from Laksar assembly constituency in 2022, but I still stood firmly with the party," he also said.

He highlighted the allocation of a ticket to Harish Rawat's son for the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat while disregarding the aspirations of senior leaders seeking to contest from the same constituency. "Many other big Congress leaders, upset with Harish Rawat's promotion of dynastic politics in Haridwar seat, may resign from the Congress party within a day or two," he speculated.

The Congress in Uttarakhand has witnessed a series of defections in recent months, including a sitting legislator from Badrinath, Rajendra Singh Bhandari, and numerous former MLAs abandoning the party.