Congress leader and state forest and environment minister Hemaram Choudhary on Thursday announced his retirement from electoral politics.
Six-time MLA Choudhary, earlier refused to contest assembly elections. After his refusal, on October 17, local workers and Congress office-bearers of Gudamalani, Choudhary’s constituency, had convened a meeting to convince him. During the meeting, Choudhary firmly said, “I will not contest elections. If you persist, I will hold fast unto death.”
Choudhary on Thursday wrote a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and appealed to him to give a ticket to a young leader instead of him.
In his letter, Choudhary wrote, “I will remain indebted to the Congress party and the Gandhi family throughout my life. The party has given me the opportunity to serve the public as a member of the legislative assembly six times. In addition, I had the chance to serve the entire state by becoming part of the state government’s cabinet, which was unimaginable for an ordinary worker like me at the beginning of my political career. During this time, I have contributed to strengthening the organisation by holding other positions within the party. Whenever the party had to face difficult situations in the past years, I have always remained at the forefront of the struggle.”
He added, “However, I am now at a stage in life where I am unable to dedicate myself completely to active political life. I have always believed that just as the party entrusted me with significant responsibilities at a young age, I should provide an opportunity to the coming generation. I firmly believe that it is the moral responsibility of every senior leader to inspire young leaders, provide them with political space, and give them a chance to progress. If, despite this realisation, I continue to contest elections, it would be a great injustice to the people of Rajasthan and the Congress party.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “However, I am now at a stage in life where I am unable to dedicate myself completely to active political life. I have always believed that just as the party entrusted me with significant responsibilities at a young age, I should provide an opportunity to the coming generation. I firmly believe that it is the moral responsibility of every senior leader to inspire young leaders, provide them with political space, and give them a chance to progress. If, despite this realisation, I continue to contest elections, it would be a great injustice to the people of Rajasthan and the Congress party.”
{{/usCountry}}Urging the party to field a younger leader in his constituency, Choudhary said, “I request you to ensure that a new Congress worker is given the opportunity from the Gudamalani assembly constituency. I am confident that not only Gudamalani but also the people of Rajasthan will provide the Congress party with the opportunity to serve again in the upcoming elections, and we will win with a significant majority.”
Earlier, Choudhary had declined to contest elections in 2008, 2013, and 2018, but later relented.