Dehradun: Harish Rawat’s much-extolled political acumen did not help him pull it off this time as he saw the Congress helplessly drift to a humiliating defeat in Uttarakhand failing to save even the two seats he contested.
Battling heavy defections from the party and the ill-effects of an infamous sting video in public domain accusing him of indulging in horse trading, Rawat failed to achieve the task of piloting his party to victory in the face of a massive groundswell of support in favour of the BJP which had promised a clean and accountable government to people relying heavily on the Modi magic.
Widely regarded for his political sagacity which helped Rawat emerge unscathed from the worst of circumstances, Rawat failed to rise to the expectations as the Congress was reduced to 11 seats.
His political acumen was in ample evidence when President’s rule was revoked in the state and he was reinstated as the Chief Minister after managing to win a Supreme Court-monitored floor test in which MLAs who had revolted against him were not allowed to vote.
But his trouble only deepened as the state moved towards elections not much later. Ticket distribution left many inside his party, which had already suffered the setback of losing a number of stalwarts to the BJP, quit it and enter the fray as independents against their own party’s official nominees in nearly a dozen seats.
