Just weeks before the assembly polls, expelled Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttarakhand minister Harak Singh Rawat rejoined his old party, the Congress, on Friday in the presence of former chief minister Harish Rawat.
Keen to rejoin the Congress after being expelled from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Harak Singh Rawat on Tuesday said he is ready to apologise to former chief minister Harish Rawat any number of times for the sake of Uttarakhand's interests.
A gym owner in Kotdwar, India, unexpectedly gained national attention after standing up to Bajrang Dal activists who were pressuring a shopkeeper to change his store's name. He has since become a social media celebrity.
The BJP expelled Harak Singh Rawat from the primary membership of the party for six years on Sunday amid speculations that he was joining the Congress.
Rawat, who represents the Kotdwar seat in the state assembly, is said to have been seeking a ticket for his daughter-in-law Anukriti Gusain from the Lansdowne constituency and a change of seat for himself.
Sources said Rawat left the meeting as he was angry that a proposal for a medical college in Kotdwar -- his constituency -- was not being cleared by the cabinet.
The apex court directed the CBI, which is already probing the case, to file its status report in the matter within three months.
The Congress on Friday declared a list of 51 candidates for the forthcoming elections to the 70-member Uttarakhand assembly. Harak Singh Rawat will be the Congress candidate from Rudraprayag seat while others in the fray include Jodh Singh Gunsola (Mussorie), Rajpal Singh Kharola (Rishikesh) and Satpal Brahmachari from Hardwar.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday visited Kedarnath to review the preparations in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Himalayan temple on November 5.
With the four-day old Congress government in Uttarakhand facing a severe crisis, embattled Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Friday rushed to Delhi to seek party chief Sonia Gandhi's intervention.
Nine ministers also take oath. Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat, Madan Kaushik, Arvind Pandey, Subodh Uniyal,Yashpal Arya and Prakash Pant have been made Cabinet ministers.
The announcement sparked a sharp reaction from the Indian Medical Association, Uttarakhand, which termed it "illegal".
Harak Singh Rawat is alleged to have established physical relations with a girl from Assam against her wishes.
Revenue minister Harak Singh Rawat had resigned on Thursday after an unwed mother alleged he had fathered her child.
"I am resigning. I will not enter the Vidhan Sabha till I come clean," Rawat said in a choked voice as he announced his resignation in the state assembly.
An inquiry has found a cook attached to a protective home guilty of having offered Jenny, an unwed mother, money to withdraw rape charges against former revenue minister Harak Singh Rawat, official sources said.
Another MLA Rekha Arya, who was also supposed to join the BJP on Wednesday, is visiting the Simhasth Kumbh in Ujjain, but has sent her acceptance to the party.
Dhami under whose leadership the BJP had contested the February 14 assembly polls was the frontrunner for the post.
Sanjeev Chaturvedi said though he had investigated "hundreds" of corruption cases, never did his "very appointment to probe a case evoke the kind of nervousness, fear, confusion and apprehension as in this case".
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday announced the names of candidates for 59 out of 70 seats in Uttarakhand for the upcoming assembly polls.
Opinion polls by a section of the media channels have stated that Harish Rawat is the most liked politician for the post of chief minister, way ahead of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
At 45, Dhami takes over as the youngest chief minister of Uttarakhand.
The Congress had governments in eight states in 2014, but now, the number might come down to five.
Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj his wife and 21 other people -- family members, staff and his followers staying in the same household -- have tested positive.
Hours after President's rule was imposed in Uttarakhand, nine rebel Congress MLAs were disqualified from the state assembly.
CM Harish Rawat condemned the imposition of President's rule in the state as a "murder" of democracy and said PM Narendra Modi's hands were dipped in the "blood".
With the Congress government in crisis in Uttarakhand after nine party members of Legislative Assembly, including a minister, joined hands with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party overnight, Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday asserted that the welfare of the state was his priority and added that he would tender his resignation if he was not able to prove majority.
the simmering discontent deep in the two parties is likely to mar the prospects of some candidates, making the contest keen, reports Shishir Prashant.
From Congress to BJP and back to Congress, Yashpal Arya, who was Uttarakhand's transport and excise minister in the Dhami government till the other day, has resigned and returned to his womb. But he is not the only one in the Land of the Gods to do so, reports Shishir Prashant.
Rebel Congress MLA and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who also reached Delhi, said he is surprised why CM Harish Rawat has not resigned so far on moral grounds.
Uttarakhand Governor Krishna Kant Paul on Saturday asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the state assembly by March 28 as the political crisis escalated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming the support of rebel Congress MLAs, stepped up efforts to form its government.
Nine Congress MLAs, most of them Bahuguna loyalists, rebelled against Harish Rawat and supported BJP's claim to form a government.
With the Uttarakhand assembly set to witness a crucial floor test on May 10, a new crisis has risen for former chief minister Harish Rawat in the form of a fresh sting video, which allegedly shows Congress Member of Legislative Assembly Madan Singh admitting to horse-trading.
The MP claimed she threatened to file a rape case against him if he did not pay her Rs 5 crore.
Dynasts and turncoats in Uttarakhand and Hindutva champions in Uttar Pradesh - BJP names 64 candidates for Uttarakhand and 149 for UP.
Inability to take everyone along during his nearly four-year term led to Trivendra Singh Rawat's undoing. He tried to take control of all major departments by holding on to more than 40 of them, but still could not deliver.
Uttarakhand minister Amrita Rawat, wife of Satpal Maharaj who recently left Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, was on Monday sacked by Chief Minister Harish Rawat from the state cabinet and an Independent member of Legislative Assembly was sworn in as minister.
In the given scenario, Doiwala MLA Trivendra Singh Rawat and Pithoragarh MLA Prakash Pant emerge as the two most favourites.
Rubbishing the allegations, the Uttarakhand CM said that the CD presented was totally fake, adding that efforts were being made to tarnish the image of the Congress-led state government.
The Congress, out of power in UP for 27 years is making a big pitch to bounce back, on a cocktail of caste politics and promises of agriculture debt waiver worth Rs 49,000 crore and power rate reduction for farmers hit by high input costs and diminishing returns., reports Amit Agnihotri.
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