The Congress is gearing up for a change of guard in Uttaranchal, with Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari tipped for a gubernatorial assignment in Maharashtra and Congress state president Harish Rawat expected to succeed Tiwari.The current incumbent at Mumbai Raj Bhawan, Mohammad Fazal, completes his tenure on November 26.A member of the Rajya Sabha, Rawat was a front-runner for the post after the last Assembly polls too. However, the Congress high command opted for an experienced hand like Tiwari to manage affairs in Uttaranchal. The other contenders for the Chief Minister’s post this time round, include state PWD Minister Indira Hridyesh, former Union minister Satpal Maharaj, Assembly Speaker Yashpal Arya and Tourism Minister T.P.S. Rawat.The party high command is keen on a change of leadership for a variety of reasons. Firstly, Tiwari failed to deliver during the last Lok Sabha polls. Of the five Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Congress bagged only one. After having removed A.K. Antony, under whose stewardship the Congress-led UDF lost all 21 Lok Sabha seats, it was quite natural for the party high command to turn to Uttaranchal to tone up the government and the party organisation.Secondly, the high command wants to instal a younger leader as Chief Minister, so as to infuse fresh energy in the party’s machinery, retrieve lost ground and effectively lead the party in the next Vidhan Sabha polls. Thirdly, once this formula of holding CM accountable is established, it would be easier to proceed against Punjab CM Amarinder Singh who got the Congress only two out of 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state.Meanwhile, former foreign secretary Shilendra Kumar Singh was on Monday appointed Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He succeeds Vinod Chandra Pande whose term ended.
