The Congress observer for the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency, Dinesh Aggarwal, met party leaders and functionaries in Haldwani on Tuesday to take feedback on probable candidates for the seat.
Dinesh Aggarwal, a former Uttarakhand minister, told media persons that he would give a report on the candidates to the party high command on March 8.
“I met all the aspirants and their supporters, and talked to them on various issues. I also took feedback from ground-level workers.”
He said there was no factionalism in the Congress and time was ripe for the Congress to return to power at the Centre.
The leader of opposition in the state assembly and Haldwani MLA, Indira Hridyesh, met Aggarwal but the observer refused to give details about the talks.
Hridyesh is said to be a contender for ticket from the Nainital seat.
KC Singh Baba, who unsuccessfully contested from Nainital in the 2014 elections, also met Aggarwal. He has already expressed his unwillingness to fight from the seat, citing health reasons.
Baba said, “The ticket should be given to Mahendra Singh Pal who had won from the Naintial Lok Sabha seat in 1989 and 2002.”
{{/usCountry}}Baba said, “The ticket should be given to Mahendra Singh Pal who had won from the Naintial Lok Sabha seat in 1989 and 2002.”
{{/usCountry}}Pal also met Aggarwal to claim the ticket.
“I am among the best candidates owing to my good rapport with the people of Nainital,” said Pal, also a lawyer.
“I had won the Nainital seat in 2002 by a margin of 1.25 lakh votes; the party should give me a chance again due to my clean image and grip over the grass-root workers.”
Kripal Singh Mehra, a former chief of Dhari block, batted for the candidature of former chief minister Harish Rawat.
He said, “Rawat is the best candidate due to his political acumen and experience as the union water resources minister and chief minister of the state.”
Congress leader Hukum Singh Kunwar also met Aggarwal and sought ticket.
Congress women’s wing state president Sarita Arya said she had given to Aggarwal a list of probable women candidates for 4 out of 5 parliamentary seats in the state.
The women’s wing has sought two seats in the state for women. “I have proposed the name of Indira Hridyesh for Naintial seat and Anupama Rawat for the Haridwar seat,” Arya said.
Before leaving for Udham Singh Nagar, Aggarwal said “The BJP has been exposed over its ‘jumlebaaji’ and no work in the past 5 years.”