Ex-Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat continued his public outreach programme in Udham Singh Nagar on Monday, October 5, 2026, even as Congress leadership expressed reservations over his independent political activities ahead of the state Assembly elections.
Rawat said to his supporters he was very proud of the enthusiasm he had received from his colleagues and supporters. He said he was thankful to them, that was the reason for his health and their passion to keep him healthy and to protect him from disaster in tough times.
Rawat’s remarks came on a week of renewed attention to his relationship with the Congress leadership.
Congress Letter Creating Political Buzz.
However, the former chief minister is being criticized by the party for his 'Dhanyawad evam Jansamvad Yatra', a public outreach programme that has been organised outside Congress’ official organisational programme.
Uttarakhand Congress in charge Kumari Selja had written to Rawat asking him to stop the programme, arguing that a parallel political programme could affect the party's preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections.
According to reports, Selja said the programme had not been discussed with state Congress leadership and urged Rawat to keep a united front.
Despite the concerns, Rawat went ahead with his programme from Jaspur to Haldwani on October 5.
Rawat remains silent on high command letter
During a meeting with media and supporters in Udham Singh Nagar, Rawat was asked about the letter written to him by the Congress central leadership.
But he did not answer directly to the question.
His silence comes at a highly sensitive time for Uttarakhand Congress with the party preparing for the next Assembly election and trying to portray unity among its senior leaders.
It was also reported that Congress general secretary K C Venugopal had summoned Rawat to Delhi in the wake of his political activities. The meeting would be to hold coordination with the party organisation and ensure unity.
#WATCH | Jaspur, Udham Singh Nagar: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat says, "There is a great deal of enthusiasm. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues. It is this very enthusiasm that has kept me healthy; it is what protected me, regardless of the circumstances." On the question of the letter issued to him by the Congress Central High Command, he remains silent.
— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2026
Why Rawat's Yatra Matters
Rawat is still an influential Congress leader in Uttarakhand and has a large political following in the state.
His decision to continue the outreach programme despite opposition from the party leadership has attracted quite a bit of attention.
Rawat has explained the campaign as an attempt to meet people and bring Congress back to power in Uttarakhand. He said the challenge was big but his resolve for the pride of Uttarakhand remained strong in a social media post on October 5.
The Congress leadership, on the other hand, has stressed coordination in the state as it gets closer to the next Assembly elections.
What Happens next?
The disagreement could further put pressure on the Congress leadership to reconcile organisational discipline with the influence of senior leaders like Rawat in the upcoming Uttarakhand Assembly elections.
For now, Rawat’s continued public outreach and the Congress high command’s objections have added another layer to the political contest in Uttarakhand.
