The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday won 48 of the 70 Assembly seats in Uttarakhand creating history in the hill state by returning to power with a comfortable majority. This is the first time any party has won a second term in the State since its creation in 2000.
However, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami himself lost from Khatima seat in Kumaon region. Two other prospective CMs from Congress and Aam Aadmi Party — Harish Rawat and Ajay Kothiyal — also faced defeat.
Bharatiya Janata party workers and supporters celebrating at the party headquarters in Dehradun on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Fighting a do-or-die battle and failing to end infighting in the ranks, the Congress tried to keep the narrative in the run-up to elections on local issues like education, medicare, unemployment and migration. But the campaign by visiting top BJP leaders highlighted development works like all-weather road connectivity, Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line, reconstruction works around Kedarnath, One-Rank-One-Pension for ex-servicemen, free vaccination, and free distribution of rations during Covid. Besides holding virtual rallies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed three public meetings.
For the Congress, the defeat of its stalwart Harish Rawat would be most disappointing. His daughter Anupama Rawat has won from Haridwar rural, a seat which her father lost in 2017.
Known as “Devbhoomi” (abode of Gods) and “veerbhoomi” (land of bravehearts) Uttarakhand clearly showed that national security, nationalism, religious circuit and development are still in its priority list. Modi’s emotional connect with the voters and his personnel monitoring of central projects instilled additional faith in the voters.
