The Uttarakhand assembly election is turning into a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress, with both parties paying extra attention to 29 seats of the state’s Kumaon region.
Key local leaders of both the parties – chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami (BJP) and former chief minister Harish Rawat (Congress) – belong to the region and have upped their stakes to ensure that they remain the front runners for the CM’s post after the election. While Dhami is again in the fray from his traditional seat, Khatima, Rawat is the Congress nominee from a new seat, Lalkuwa, which is also in Kumaon region.
While the Congress is trying hard to restore its old bases in this region, the BJP is facing a major challenge as it is seeking to repeat its performance of the 2017 assembly polls, when it had bagged 24 seats.
Though the Centre has withdrawn the three farm laws, the BJP is struggling to overcome the impact of the farmers’ agitation in Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts.
Former minister Yashpal Arya, a prominent Scheduled Caste (SC) face in state politics, is present in the fray from his traditional seat, Bajpur, as the Congress nominee, while his son Sanjeev Arya, who was elected to the state assembly from Nainital seat on BJP ticket in 2017, is now contesting from Nainital as Congress nominee. The father-son duo joined the Congress after leaving the BJP recently.
The BJP has selected a young leader, Rajesh Kumar, who was chief of the party’s SC Morcha, to contest against Yashpal Arya from Bajpur seat. In Nainital, Sarita Arya, who recently switched to the BJP from the Congress, is the BJP’s nominee against Yashpal’s son Sanjeev.
At least in two constituencies, Rudrapur and Bhimtal, the BJP is apparently in trouble because of the presence of its rebel candidates.
“Our organisational support base is strong in the Kumaon region. Our young chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, is popular particularly among youths and ex-army personnel. So, I do not see any challenge to the party in this election,” BJP’s state spokesperson Suresh Soni told ET. On the other side, the Congress is trying to revive its support in Kumaon’s Tarai region by fielding Harish Rawat from Lalkuwa seat. The Tarai region, which has about 10 assembly seats, used to be the Congress stronghold before 2012.
“The party wanted to enhance the confidence of its workers in the Tarai belt by fielding Harish Rawat from Lalkuwa seat,” said a Congress leader, who did not wish to be identified.
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