Four Congress rebels withdraw nominations

Four rebel Congress leaders who had jumped into the fray as independents for the February 15 assembly elections in Uttarakhand today withdrew in favour of the party's official nominees bringing much relief to the party.
Shilpi Arora who had entered the fray against Chief Minister Harish Rawat from Kichcha as an independent after being denied a ticket has withdrawn from both Kichcha and Gadarpur constituencies, Pradesh Congress vice president Jot Singh Bisht told reporters here.
Ramesh Max from Khatima, Gajendra Singh from Rudraprayag and Rajendra Dhawan from Cantt seat have also withdrawn pledging support for the party's official candidates and ensure their victory from their respective seats, Bisht said.

Withdrawal of the four candidates from the fray is being seen as a big relief for the ruling Congress which is battling rebellion in at least half a dozen seats in the state after announcement of candidates.