Uttarakhand polls: Harish Rawat to contest from Ramnagar, Cong releases 2nd list

New Delhi, Jan 24: The Congress on Monday released its second list of 11 candidates for Uttarakhand assembly elections. It fielded former chief minister Harish Rawat from the Ramnagar assembly constituency and Anukriti Gusain Rawat from the Lansdowne assembly seat.

Harish Rawat, who is heading the campaigning in the state, had unsuccessfully contested the Haridwar-Rural and Kichcha assembly seats in the 2017 assembly polls.

The grand old party has fielded Anukriti Gusain Rawat from the Lansdowne assembly seat. However, Congress has not decided the constituency on the daughter-in-law of Harak Singh Rawat, who returned to the Congress fold from the BJP on Friday.

It is yet to announce candidates for six more seats.

With the announcement of names of 11 candidates, the Congress has so far released its candidates for 64 candidates, after the first list of 53 candidates was released on Saturday night.

Congress has fielded Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal from the Srinagar seat and Leader of Opposition in the outgoing assembly Pritam Singh from the Chakrata (ST) constituency in the first list. Whereas former speaker Yashpal Arya, who quit BJP to join the Congress, has been fielded from his Bajpur-SC constituency.

Arya's son Sanjeev Arya has also been fielded from the Nainital (SC) assembly seat, which he quit after resigning from the BJP along with his father. Sumit Hridayesh, the son of senior Congress leader Indira Hridayesh who died in June last year, has been fielded from Haldwani assembly seat. The Congress has also retained most of its sitting MLAs in its two lists announced so far. PTI

The state goes to polls in a single phase for 70-member assembly on February 14 and the results will be out on March 10. PTI