While BJP looks for a third sweep, the Congress wants to retake ground in Uttarakhand

With only three days remaining before elections, Uttarakhand—fondly called Dev Bhoomi—goes through a metamorphosis in its political landscape as the BJP relentlessly pursues yet another landslide victory in the hill state. The state leadership of the Congress is working hard to make up ground lost after losing both of its attempts to win Lok Sabha seats in the last two elections, but the party is up against fierce opposition in the state.

The BJP is aiming to win all five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand for the third time in a row, propelled by its past electoral triumphs as well as accomplishments like the creation of the groundbreaking Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the building of several highways as part of the Char Dham Yatra project, and the successful rescue of laborers from the Silkyara tunnel.

BJP national spokesperson Anil Baluni is running against Congress state chief Ganesh Godiyal in Pauri-Gharwal, former chief minister Trivendra Rawat is taking on his son, former Congress chief Harish Rawat’s son Virendra Singh Rawat from Haridwar, Union minister Ajay Bhatt of the BJP is going up against Prakash Joshi in Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, and BJP’s Ajay Tamta is running against Congressman Pradeep Tamta in Almora. In addition, the BJP has renominated Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, the legitimate queen of the former kingdom, to challenge Jot Singh Gunsola of the Congress.