Uttarkashi (Dehradun): The Aam Aadmi Party has said retired Colonel Ajay Kothiyal will contest against Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat in the by-election in Gangotri constituency.
Col Kothiyal, a former principal of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi, joined the party in April.
"BJP has ruined Uttarakhand in five years. I am fortunate that my party has given me a chance to contest the Gangotri by-election against Chief Minister Rawat. I have visited many villages in Gangotri and I am sure that this time it will be a victory for the people," Kothiyal said.
The seat fell vacant after the death of BJP legislator Gopal Rawat in April.
Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat should get elected to the state assembly before September 9 to retain the post. At present, he represents Garhwal in the Lok Sabha, the Parliament's Lower House.
Rawat was sworn in as chief minister of Uttarakhand in March replacing Trivendra Singh Rawat over differences among BJP leaders in the state.
Chief Minister Rawat has been called for a meeting with the party's leadership in Delhi on Wednesday.
The state will choose a new government in polls due in 2022. The Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP of prime minister Narendra Modi swept the elections in 2017 - winning 57 of the 70 seats in the state assembly. The main opposition Congress Party managed to get just 11 seats.
