Harak Singh Rawat returned to the BJP in 2016 after nine congressmen revolted against Harish Rawat.
Dehradun:
Uttarakhand Minister Harak Singh Rawat said he would not challenge the 2022 State Assembly polls. Speaking to reporters at his residence here on Friday, Rawat said that he had informed senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata (BJP) party in both the state and the Center of his decision not to contest the 2022 assembly elections.
However, he made it clear that he was not quitting politics.
Mr Rawat’s decision not to enter the polls in 2022 is linked to his recent dismissal as chairman of the reconstituted National Council for Labor Protection.
The sudden announcement by the state forestry minister is interpreted in political circles here as an expression of his displeasure at the way he was removed from his post as chairman of the welfare commission without having one. been informed in advance.
Asked about it, Mr Rawat said it was the chief minister’s prerogative to appoint someone to the post, but added that he would tell him about it.
Three-term cabinet minister, Rawat is considered a political heavyweight in Uttarakhand with a consistent record of poll wins. He began his political career with the BJP in 1989, but then joined the Bahujan Samaj (BSP) party and then Congress.
He returned to the BJP in 2016 after nine congressmen, including himself, revolted against then-chief minister Harish Rawat.
