Differences within the Uttarakhand Congress have emerged over former Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s Dhanyawad and Jan Samvad Yatra ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. While several senior leaders have joined Rawat during the yatra, some prominent leaders of the state organisation have maintained their distance.
Ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, differences within the Congress over the organisation and leadership have come under discussion. Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat began the Dhanyawad and Jan Samvad Yatra, prompting the Congress high command to object to individual or parallel campaigns. Despite this, Rawat continued his yatra in the Kumaon region. On Monday, several senior leaders and supporters were seen accompanying him during the journey from Jaspur to Haldwani.
Former state Congress president and MLA Pritam Singh, along with several other Congress leaders, was seen with Rawat. At the same time, Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal and some other senior leaders were reported to have kept their distance from the yatra. This has intensified discussion over the differing positions of leaders within the party. However, the presence or absence of any leader from the yatra cannot by itself be considered evidence of any formal factional grouping.
Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja had earlier appealed to Harish Rawat to stop the yatra. Subsequently, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal met Rawat and said the party’s campaign should be taken forward jointly with all leaders. Venugopal made it clear that, in Uttarakhand, collective programmes decided by the party organisation would be held instead of individual campaigns.
The Congress leadership has said that in an election-bound state, the campaign should be conducted under the party banner and through collective leadership. Following the high command’s position, discussion within the party over Rawat’s yatra intensified. According to reports, Rawat is scheduled to travel to Delhi on October 7 to present his position before the party leadership.
During Harish Rawat’s yatra, Pritam Singh, Tilak Raj Behad, Harish Dhami and Aadesh Chauhan, among other leaders, were seen accompanying him. Former Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, former MLAs and other senior leaders also joined the yatra. Rawat has described it as a programme to interact with people and express gratitude to them.
Rawat has also said that he has not formally made the yatra a party programme, although several Congress leaders and workers are participating in it. The situation has raised questions about coordination between the party organisation and individual political activities.
Attention within the Congress is now focused on Rawat’s visit to Delhi and his discussions with the party leadership. His meetings with Venugopal and Kumari Selja could include discussions on the yatra and upcoming electoral activities in the state.
For now, the Congress high command is emphasising collective electoral programmes, while Rawat continues to maintain contact with supporters and workers through his political activities. The discussions between the party leadership and Rawat in the coming days are expected to determine how his Jan Samvad Yatra continues and how it is aligned with the party’s broader electoral campaign.
