Uttarakhand: Traveling on an incline
Even though the first round of elections in all five of Uttarakhand’s seats is scheduled for April 19, the political climate among voters is still unclear, as has been the case in the past. In the history of elections, more than ten veterans in the state have suffered humiliating losses. Among them are the Uttarakhandi politicians who ran for Lok Sabha in the hopes of gaining simple entry to Parliament but were not successful.
Rejected at one point or another were Ram Vilas Paswan, Mayawati, Satpal Maharaj, Lt-Gen (Retd) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, ND Tiwari, Maharaja Manvendra Shah of Tehri, and Harish Rawat. Voters in the state have a long and illustrious history of switching allegiance without hesitation in response to unexpected election results.
Uttarakhand citizens, who have an impressive literacy rate, have often used their right to vote after careful consideration of important and national issues. “The high literacy rate plays a key role in voters making informed decisions by considering national issues during elections, reflecting their concern for serious matters at a national level,” said Amarjeet Singh, Uttarakhand Congress spokesperson, highlighting the importance of literacy in the state.
He stated, “After observing the political climate, Uttarakhand may produce results similar to 2009 on issues like inflation, unemployment, security, migration, and law and order. This time, the public will vote on these issues.”
Suresh’s record of wins and losses
A cursory investigation into Uttarakhand’s election past yields some fascinating findings. Harish Rawat overthrew BJP mainstay Murli Manohar Joshi in 1984. Chandramohan Singh Negi of the Janata Dal beat Satpal Maharaj, a seasoned Congressman, in 1989. From the Haridwar seat, Ramvilas Paswan was decisively defeated in 1989.
In 1990 and 1991, BSP chief Mayawati suffered a humiliating loss at the hands of Haridwar. Similar to this, Kashi Singh Aeri, an independent, beat Bhagat Singh Koshyari for the Almora seat in 1989. Balraj Pasi of the BJP beat Congressman ND Tiwari, a strong candidate for the PM position, during the 1991 Ram mandir wave. B C Khanduri, who was elected four times as an MP from the Pauri seat, lost elections in 1996 and 2009.
Similar to this, independent candidate Paripurnanand Panuli defeated eight-time MP Maharaja Manvendra Shah on Tehri in 1971. Additionally, former BJP minister Bachhi Singh Rawat of Almora defeated Harish Rawat three times in a row. Ajay Bhatt defeated Harish Rawat in the 2019 Nainital seat contest.
Present situation
For each of the five seats, the BJP and the Congress are anticipated to engage in a primary struggle. Even though Bobby Pawar of Tehri and Umesh Kumar of Haridwar are both formidable independent candidates, the evaluation of past election outcomes indicates that even in these elections, both independent candidates may only have an impact on the winning candidate’s margin of victory. Umesh Kumar, one of the two independents, represents the Khanpur seat as an MLA.
This time around in Tehri, Congressman Jot Singh Gunasola, a two-time MLA from Mussoorie, will take on three-time BJP MP Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah. Bobby Pawar, the leader of the Berojgar Sangh, is running as an independent and has a large following among young people.
Ganesh Godiyal of the Congress and Anil Baluni of the BJP are running in Garhwal. Tirath Singh Rawat has been replaced by a Rajya Sabha MP nominated by the BJP. Godiyal was a lawmaker in the past.
In Haridwar, the BJP has matched Congressman Virendra Rawat against former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. In this area, the BSP also has a sizable voter base, and Khanpur-based independent candidate Umesh Kumar is also running for office. At the moment, Umesh represents Khanpur as an independent MLA.
Two longtime adversaries, Ajay Tamta of the BJP and Pradeep Tamta of the Congress, will square off in Almora once again. A fresh opponent for MoS Ajay Bhatt in Nainital will be Congressman Prakash Joshi.
