As Rawat and Dhanai could not turn up for the event, Badrinath MLA Rajendra Singh Bhandari declared the carnival open amid continuing snowfall in the higher reaches and showers in the plains.
However, Rawat telephonically conveyed his good wishes for the event which was being seen as part of the state government's efforts to revive tourism hit hard by the 2013 flashfloods.
ITBP personnel and local youths participated in the outings lined up for the first day.
The open championship begins tomorrow.
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