Congress names Nirmala Gahtori to contest against Pushkar Singh Dhami

Champawat, which shares boundaries with Nepal in Uttarakhand's Kumaon region, is once again witnessing intense political activities with BJP fielding chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami from the constituency and Congress announcing its candidate Nirmala Gahtori from the seat on Friday.

BJP MLA Kailash Gahtori vacated the seat for Dhami who lost from Khatima during the recently held assembly polls. Meanwhile, the traditional Congress candidate, Hemesh Kharkwal, refused to contest forcing his party to field the new face Nirmala Gahtori from Champawat. Dhami had to enter the fray as Uttarakhand is a unicameral state and he had to contest within six months to continue as the chief minister.

While the Champawat seat seems to be favourable for Dhami, BJP is not taking any chances and has roped in its top state leaders who are already camping in the constituency to ensure the chief minister’s victory by a good margin. Dhami, who has already held a roadshow in Champawat, will file his nomination papers on May 9.