He is not contesting the elections but remains the most talked-about person during electioneering for the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttarakhand. A debate continues to rage about the future of Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Narain Datt Tiwari. One of the senior-most politicians in the country, Tiwari has been signalling his possible retirement from active politics for quite some time now; but being an astute politician, he has created more confusion rather than clear the air about his possible role in the state, as well as in Congress politics.

Starting his career as a legislator in Uttar Pradesh in 1952, Tiwari became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh three times, a union cabinet minister twice — holding the important portfolios of finance and foreign affairs. He was also once vice-chairman of the Planning Commission. Known to be close to the Gandhi family, Tiwari along with Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh, floated the Tiwari Congress during the tenure of Prime Minister P.V. Narsimha Rao. Later, he merged his outfit again with the Congress.

Tiwari got a whole new lease of life when the Congress won in Uttarakhand in its first ever assembly elections in 2002. He became the state’s chief minister. Ignoring a sulking Uttarakhand Congress chief, Harish Rawat, who had led the party to victory, Tiwari ruled the state over the past five years with ease, winning over most of the party legislators. Despite ruling Uttarakhand, his heart clearly was somewhere else. But being a wily politician, he took care neither to spell out his real desire nor to suppress it. His abiding regret was his defeat in the 1991 parliamentary elections, which also ended his dreams of becoming the country’s prime minister, following the death of Rajiv Gandhi. Even as chief minister, Tiwari wished to play a larger role at the Centre. But most senior Congress politicians at the national level are wary of him and want him out of the way. On numerous occasions, he attempted to catch the attention of the party’s leadership but failed. This is probably why he decided to hunker down and choose the opportune moment to strike.

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