4th defeat for Harish Rawat raises questions

For former CM Harish Rawat, this election was a litmus test of his political capital. However, he lost the seat by a massive margin of 14,000 votes.

After losing from Haridwar (rural) and Kiccha in 2017 and from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar Lok Sabha constituency in 2019, the poll loss from Lalkuan is Rawat's fourth successive defeat.

Harish Rawat lost to BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht by over 17,000 votes in Lalkuan. The former CM got 28,780 votes against 46,307 votes received by BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht. After his defeat, Rawat penned an emotional message on social media saying, “I apologise to the people of Lalkuan area for not being able to win their trust. I have lost the opportunity to fulfill the election promises I made to them. In a very short span of time, you extended a hand of affection towards me. I failed to bring myself in the grip of your outstretched hands."


Notably, Harish Rawat was initially fielded from Ramnagar but following a backlash from party members, he was nominated from the Lalkuan constituency. Political analyst Udit Ghildiyal said, “After the crushing defeat, it is time for new leadership to emerge in Uttarakhand Congress. Harish Rawat is a widely respected leader, who has been given several opportunities by the party. Post the 2022 results, the Congress needs to make some major changes to prevent the downfall.”