By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has expressed a desire to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Khanpur in Haridwar district, adding a new dimension to the political contest around the seat represented by Independent MLA Umesh Kumar.
Rawat’s inclination in contesting from Khanpur comes against the backdrop of a unique electoral record in Uttarakhand. Since the state held its first Assembly elections in 2002, no Independent MLA has won consecutive terms from the same constituency while contesting as an Independent, political analysts said. There is also speculation that sitting Khanpur MLA Umesh Kumar may not contest the 2027 Assembly elections, although he has made no confirmed announcement to this effect.
Rawat, however, made it clear on Tuesday that the final decision would rest with the Congress leadership, saying he would accept whatever responsibility the party assigned him.
“My mind may be restless, but its reins are in the hands of the party leadership,” he told reporters in Kathgodam. “If the leadership asks me to contest, I will contest. If it asks me to campaign from outside, I will do that too. I will do whatever work is assigned to me.”
The veteran Congress leader said people in Haridwar had stood by him even in difficult circumstances and that he wanted to stand firmly with them again. He added that residents of Khanpur had been urging him to contest from their constituency.
The Khanpur contest also carries a historical political dimension. Kumar was associated with the 2016 sting operation involving Rawat, then the chief minister. Rawat had disputed the allegations surrounding the sting. The episode remains a notable chapter in the political history of the state.
Asked whether his long record of electoral victories and defeats had left him apprehensive about another contest, Rawat responded with characteristic imagery.
“I am a fish’s offspring; I am not afraid of the sea,” he said, adding that politicians must learn to swim through both favourable and adverse currents, while the final outcome rests with the people.
Rawat also defended the political independence of his daughter, Congress MLA Anupama Rawat, and his son Anand, saying their work in public life should be judged on its own merit rather than through their relationship with him.
He maintained that the Congress should field winnable candidates, even if that meant choosing someone else over a member of his family.
For now, Rawat has put the ball firmly in the Congress high command’s court. His expressed interest in Khanpur has nevertheless brought the constituency into sharper focus ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.