Uttarakhand assembly elections: Mantri Prasad Naithani files nomination paper as Congress nominee

DEHRADUN: While the entire state was waiting for the Congress' list of candidates with a bated breath,

Progressive Democratic Front

(PDF) chairman

Mantri Prasad Naithani

sprung a major surprise when he filed his papers at Tehri Collectorate as Congress candidate from

Devprayag district

. It was a clear indication that the party has struck a deal with the PDF. According to party sources,

Shoorveer Singh Sajwan

the likely Congress candidate from Devprayag has been adjusted to Rishikesh seat which he had won in 2002.

Naithani was among the 21 politicians, including BJP’s Ajay Bhatt, who filed their nomination papers on the day.

Afetr his nomination, Naithani told TOI, “Congress will definitely win this seat and I have the support of the entire team.” On being asked about the other PDF members, he said that while BSP is contesting on almost all seats, Independent MLA Dinesh Dhanai and UKD lawmaker Pritam Singh Panwar wanted to fight elections on their own and were against contesting under the Congress banner.

Naithani added that he and

Harish Chandra Durgapal

an Independent MLA from Lal Kuan were in favour of contesting on Congress ticket. “Therefore, we decided that we will take the preferred routes rather than contesting elections under the banner of one political outfit,” he added.

Meanwhile, sources said that Sajwan a senior leader who had won the seat in 1985 is being given the ticket from Rishikesh seat. Whereas, if Dhanai contests as Independent from Tehri, Congress state chief Kishore Upadhyay is likely to be the party candidate from the seat. However, sources did not rule out the possibilities of Upadhyay being given ticket from Sahaspur constituency of Dehradun.