Congress should declare CM candidate before assembly polls to fight 'Modi aura', says ex-CM Harish Rawat

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 19 (ANI): Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Monday said that the Congress party should declare Chief Ministerial face for the upcoming elections in order to fight the 'Modi aura'.
"Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) makes every election as Modi vs Who. This only benefits BJP. If we fight the assembly elections with a local face then BJP will also be forced to declare its local CM candidate. Then the public will compare the merits of (local) candidates of both the parties. Modi will come merely as a guest artist in the elections," Rawat told ANI.
Harish Rawat has suggested a change in the election strategy for the Congress party.
"I am not saying that my name should be declared as Chief Ministerial candidate. Instead, any name should come in front and I will support that person," he added.
While responding to the question on his differences with the State Congress Committee, he said "Happiness and sorrows are a part of every home. This is not a big issue and does not require discussion. We have all been together."
Rawat said that he will take up the issue of CM face to the high-command and meet Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. "We are the ones who have established traditions. Earlier we used to declare the CM face, now we don't. However, we have declared the faces at some places like in Haryana and Delhi," he said.
Earlier, in a tweet addressed to Congress state-in-charge Devendra Yadav, he had insisted on a categorical announcement about the party's chief ministerial candidate ahead of the 2022 polls to stop infighting within the party ranks. (ANI)