Congress to field Anju Lunthi for Pithoragarh bypoll

The opposition Congress in Uttarakhand on Tuesday declared Anju Lunthi as its candidate for the Pithoragarh Assembly seat where a bypoll is scheduled to be held on November 25.

The decision to field Lunthi from the seat was announced at a press conference here after senior party leaders including PCC president Pritam Singh, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Indira Hridayesh, former assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Singh Mahra held a meeting with local leaders.

A former block pramukh, Lunthi was selected as she is young and has a record of doing good work for the poor during her tenure, Hridayesh said.

Lunthi will file her nominations tomorrow.

The decision to field Lunthi comes after two prominent party leaders from the state including former MLA Mayukh Mahar and PCC spokesman Mathura Dutt Joshi refused to contest on different grounds.

While Mahar whose candidature had been backed by former chief minister Harish Rawat cited health reasons for not contesting, Joshi decided not to enter the fray saying the party leadership had better candidates in mind.

Lunthi will now take on BJP's Chandra Pant on the seat.

Chandra is the wife of sitting MLA from PIthoragarh and former state finance and parliamentary affairs minister Prakash Panth whose death in June necessitated bypoll to the seat.