Uttarakhand Congress scouts for new chief

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand unit of the Congress is seeking a new chief. All the four candidates considered most likely to take the position are brahmins. State Congress spokesman Surendra Kumar said, "We do not believe in the caste factor. For Congress, everyone is equally important."

A party insider said, "Four MLAs, Subodh Uniyal, Ansuya Prasad Maikhuri, Nav Prabhat and Govind Godiyal are the frontrunners for the post."

About 65% of the state's voters are upper caste Thakurs or Brahmins. Yashpal Arya, a prominent Dalit leader, had been leading the party's state unit, while Vijay Bahuguna, a Brahmin, and now Harish Rawat, a Thakur, occupied the position of chief minister.

Uniyal is regarded close to Vijay Bahuguna, and his induction as party chief might ease Rawat's relations with the former chief minister, the party insider said.

Yashpal Arya, who offered his resignation from the post of party chief last year at the end of two terms at the helm, is also a minister in the cabinet. His term as party chief was extended as he was asked to lead the party during the Lok Sabha polls.

Apart from finding a new state unit chief, the Congress faces the uphill task of winning the Panchayat polls. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won all five seats in Uttarakhand. Winning the assembly bypolls at Someshwar and Doiwala is also a priority. The party is also seeking a 'safe' assembly constituency from which to field chief minister Harish Rawat.