Dehradun/Haridwar – With the 2027 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly elections on the horizon, political calculations in Haridwar district are intensifying, especially around the Khanpur constituency.
Rawat’s Haridwar‑Centric Outreach Raises Questions
The ex‑chief minister has hinted at filing his nomination from somewhere within Haridwar in the upcoming polls. A flurry of social‑media posts and the launch of his proposed Jan Samvad initiative, which earmarks Khanpur as a key discussion point, have amplified rumours that Rawat may set his sights on the seat. Though no formal declaration has been made, the signal 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 – both of which he lost. This historic bond lends weight to his renewed interest in Khanpur.
2022 Election Recap: Independent Umesh Kumar’s Victory
The current MLA from Khanpur, independent candidate Umesh Kumar, secured a win in the 2022 assembly election with 38,767 votes. He edged out the BSP contender Ravindra Singh, who received 31,915 votes, while BJP’s Kunwarani Devyani Singh followed closely with 30,834 votes. The Congress candidate managed only 6,289 votes. Kumar’s margin of victory stood at 6,852 votes, underscoring the constituency’s competitive nature.
A Throwback: The 2016 Sting Operation
The Rawat‑Kumar dynamic also traces back to the 2016 political crisis in Uttarakhand. At that time, Kumar, then a journalist, was linked to a controversial sting operation that implicated then‑CM Harish Rawat. The episode triggered a CBI investigation, culminating in a 2023 special CBI court order for voice‑sample analysis of Rawat, Kumar and several others.
After the legal dust settled, Kumar transitioned into electoral politics and captured the Khanpur seat as an independent in 2022.
Could Khanpur Host a High‑Profile Showdown?
At present, 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 should he do so, the constituency could become a focal point of Uttarakhand’s political narrative, given the contrasting trajectories of the two leaders and their shared history from the 2016 sting case.
The definitive candidate lineup will crystallise once parties and aspirants lodge their official nominations for the 2027 assembly election.
