Dehradun/Haridwar – With the Uttarakhand assembly elections slated for 2027 drawing closer, political strategizing in Haridwar district is gaining momentum, particularly around the Khanpur constituency.
Rawat’s Haridwar‑Centric Outreach Fuels Rumours
The ex‑chief minister has subtly signalled his intention to contest the 2027 polls from somewhere within Haridwar district. A flurry of social‑media activity and the launch of his proposed Jan Samvad initiative—where Khanpur features prominently—have amplified talk that Rawat may set his sights on this seat. While no official nomination has been filed, the message is unmistakable.
Rawat’s connection to Haridwar runs deep. He represented the city as a Lok Sabha MP and, in 2017, contested two assembly seats—Haridwar Rural and Kichha—though he fell short in both. This historic bond adds weight to his renewed interest in Khanpur.
2022 Snapshot: Independent Umesh Kumar’s Victory
The sitting MLA from Khanpur, independent candidate Umesh Kumar, secured the seat in the 2022 assembly election with 38,767 votes. He outpaced BSP contender Ravindra Singh, who gathered 31,915 votes, and BJP’s Kunwarani Devyani Singh, who trailed closely with 30,834 votes. The Congress candidate managed only 6,289 votes. Kumar’s winning margin stood at 6,852 votes, underscoring the constituency’s competitive character.
A Flashback: The 2016 Sting Operation
The Rawat‑Kumar dynamic also stretches back to the 2016 political turbulence in Uttarakhand. At that time, Kumar, then a journalist, was linked to a controversial sting operation that implicated then‑CM Harish Rawat. The episode prompted a CBI investigation, culminating in a 2023 special CBI court order for voice‑sample analysis of Rawat, Kumar and several other figures.
Following the legal saga, Kumar pivoted to electoral politics, eventually winning the Khanpur seat as an independent in 2022.
Could Khanpur Host a High‑Profile Duel?
A direct contest between Harish Rawat and Umesh Kumar remains a possibility rather than a certainty. Rawat has yet to submit a formal nomination from Khanpur, but if he does, the constituency could become a focal point of Uttarakhand’s political narrative, given the contrasting paths of the two leaders and their shared history from the 2016 sting case.
The final candidate line‑up will solidify once parties and aspirants lodge their official nominations for the 2027 assembly election.
