Haridwar
Two former Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand — Congress’s Harish Rawat and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Trivendra Rawat — are battling it out in the holy city of Haridwar, believed to be the gateway to salvation by many devout Hindus.
The 76-year-old Mr. Harish Rawat opted out of the electoral race in favour of his 49-year-old son Virender but remains very much on the ticket. In contrast, the BJP has fielded Mr. Trivendra Rawat in place of former CM Ramesh Pokhriyal, who won this seat in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Notwithstanding a recent road accident, the septuagenarian Mr. Harish Rawat has been campaigning relentlessly for his son, with 15 to 18 hour workdays dedicated to reaching out to the voters both physically and digitally. One of his posts on X (formerly twitter) reads, “Brothers and sisters, you know that our party’s account has been seized. We are completely short of resources. If you want to help us, kindly donate for Virendra Rawat...”
In the Haridwar Lok Sabha constituency, which has over 20 lakh voters, the forward castes are numerically strong. However, there is also a significant population of Muslims in the district, hovering at around 34% as per 2011 census, as well as a considerable SC/ST populace. The Congress is hoping to consolidate the votes of both communities in its favour.
“Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) could play the spoilsport for Congress as it has fielded a cleric and former MLA [from U.P.’s Meerapur constituency], Jameel Ahmad Qasmi, from Haridwar. He will be favoured by both Dalits and Muslims,” Roorkee’s Rajesh Pathak says. Mr. Pathak feels that real issues of the holy city - where the river Ganga leaves the foothill of Himalayas - have taken a backseat in the campaigns of both the BJP and the Congress.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Harish Rawat asserted that the electoral outcome is not dependent on a caste coalition. Unemployment and inflation are the two burning issues which will dictate the voter’s choices.
“The people are seething with anger with the BJP because of Agnipath [the short term army recruitment scheme] and multiple paper leaks which have jeopardised the future of their children,” Mr. Harish Rawat said.
The Agnipath issue could bear significance in the election given the significant numbers of army personnel based in Uttarakhand.
Mr. Harish Rawat’s son is the fourth in the family to enter politics. Aping his father’s mannerisms, Mr. Virender Rawat has been trying to copy the senior Rawat’s oratorial style and is branding the BJP as “informers of Britishers” and “anti-people”.
“Rhetoric apart, it is a tough battle for him. Out of the four Lok Sabha elections that the State has seen since its formation in 2000, BJP has won twice,” Vinita Malhotra says. As a local resident, Ms. Malhotra wants her MP to focus on managing crowds in Haridwar, especially during the Kanwar Yatras, the Magh/Kumbh Mela and other annual holy baths and fairs.
The Haridwar Lok Sabha seat comprises of 11 Assembly seats from Haridwar and three from Dehradun. In the 2022 Assembly election, the BJP, which formed the government in the State, secured six seats among 14 while the Congress won five seats. Two seats went to the BSP and one, the Khanpur seat, was won by an Independent.
The Independent MLA from Khanpur, Umesh Kumar, is now contesting the LS election as well. During his time as a journalist, Mr. Kumar had conducted a sting operation against Mr. Harish Rawat in 2016 in which he was accused of horse trading. A CBI probe is going-on in the matter.
The battle is no cakewalk for Mr. Trivendra Rawat either. This is the first Parliamentary election for him in his thirty year long political career. It is also his first big opportunity after his unceremonious sacking before he concluded his term as Chief Minister. He is headlining his campaign with the Ram temple and the Uniform Civil Code issues, with other developmental issues such as the Char Dham road project, the clean Ganga mission, and many other schemes also figuring in his speeches.
“I don’t think that there is any competition for the BJP in Haridwar. People are supporting me because the country wants to see Narendra Modi as their PM once again,” Mr. Trivendra Rawat said. PM Modi took out a rally in Rishikesh while Yogi Adityanath and BJP chief J.P. Nadda also campaigned for Mr. Trivendra Rawat.
