Former chief minister Harish Rawat, who had led the Congress campaign in the Uttarakhand assembly polls, lost to the BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht from Lalkuwa by 17,527 votes.
Mr. Bisht had managed an early lead over Rawat and maintained it till the end.
Mr. Rawat's loss from Lalkuwa is significant as he was initially fielded by the party high-command from the Ramnagar constituency, but shifted to Lalkuwa following an opposition to his candidature by party colleague and one-time close associate Ranjeet Rawat.
Mr. Rawat's had led the party's poll campaign in the state and he was billed to be the top contender for the post of chief minister, if his party was to win.
This was also seen as a comeback poll for Mr. Rawat as he had lost from both Kichcha and Haridwar (rural) seats in the last assembly polls held in 2017.
He had also lost the Nainital seat in the 2019 general elections.
