Col Ajay Kothiyal, Credited With Rebuilding Kedarnath & Training Youth for Forces, is AAP's Uttarakhand Face

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced Colonel Ajay Kothiyal as the chief ministerial face of the party in Uttarakhand ahead of the 2022 elections in the state.

An Indian Army veteran and former principal of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) at Uttarkashi, Colonel Kothiyal had joined the AAP on April 20 this year.

The AAP had decided to field Kothiyal — who is known for his role in reconstruction of Kedarnath after the flash floods in 2013 — from the Gangotri Assembly constituency in bypolls amid speculation that then chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat may contest from there. However, Tirath resigned as CM and the by-poll has not yet been announced.

Kothiyal is a known face and enjoys a very good reputation. “Apart from being a decorated soldier, his work in training youngsters for recruitment in armed forces is appreciated by everyone. He would be a great asset to the party,” an AAP leader was quoted as saying by The Pioneer on the condition of anonymity.

Before joining AAP, Kothiyal wrote on Facebook that he has decided to “take a major decision” after meeting a disabled youth in a cafe. “This 23-year-old youth walks on crutches but works with enthusiasm. He told me what the people of Uttarakhand expect from me. His question and passion has prompted me to take a major decision,” Kothiyal said in a post.

Kejriwal said the decision to pick Ajay Kothiyal as the party’s CM face was based on the feedback received from people who are fed up with politicians helming the state.

“People here want a break from politicians who have only looted the state. They now want an Armyman as CM who will not spend his tenure filling his coffers but serve them,” the Delhi chief minister as quoted as saying by PTI.

Kothiyal shot to prominence in 2013 when he, with the help of an instructor, trained 30 youngsters of which 28 got recruited in the Garhwal Rifles. The news spread and more candidates approached him, which led him to start a non-profit trust in 2015 — Youth Foundation that operates six camps in various districts of Uttarakhand.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.