Harish Rawat Congress' de facto poll face in Uttarakhand

The AICC leadership on Thursday reshuffled its top team in election-bound Uttarakhand by removing PCC chief Pritam Singh and elevating ex-CM Harish Rawat as the de facto poll face of the party in the state by appointing him as chairman of the Congress campaign committee.

Seventy three-year-old Rawat’s success in ejecting Rahul-appointee Singh, 62, (who has been relocated as leader of the opposition despite his reluctance) became sweeter after the high command not only retained him as AICC general secretary but also named his supporter Ganesh Godiyal as new PCC chief so that the party can project the required Thakur-Brahmin social balancing and the Kumaon-Garhwal regional combination.

ET had reported on June 30 these changes were in the offing.