Summary:
Under his leadership, the Congress lost the Tharali bypoll but was able to win two out of seven mayoral seats in urban local body elections. Dehradun: All eyes are on the state chiefs of the two main political parties in Uttarakhand, Ajay Bhatt of the BJP and Pritam Singh of the Congress as they may lock horns with heavyweights in this election. Singh did not confirm his candidature but told TOI that his party would win since “people are disillusioned with the BJP government’s performance.” This would pit Rawat against Bhatt in Nainital and Singh against BJP candidate Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah in Tehri.For Singh, who was appointed the state chief by Congress in 2017, the Lok Sabha elections are a litmus test. Incidentally, for both Singh and Bhatt, this would be the first time that they would be contesting a Lok Sabha election.While Bhatt, a Brahmin from Kumaon, is seen as aggressive in his approach, Singh, a Thakur leader from Chakrata, has a relatively mellow image..