BJP likely to retain power in Uttarakhand, but who will be CM?

Assembly Election Image Courtesy:.buzinessbytes.com

For the first time in 22 years, Uttarakhand voters are likely to retain the incumbent party with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) all set to form the next government in the state. Uttarakhand voted on February 14, and recorded a voter turnout of 59.51 per cent.

The trends from Uttarakhand, updated by the Election Commission at 5 P.M show, show that while the BJP has won 20 seats and the Congress has won 6. In a first in the state, the party seems to have overcome the anti-incumbency factor and was able to woo voters. The BJP is also leading in 27 more seats, taking it to a total of 47 seats so far, well past the halfway mark in the 70-seat Assembly. The Congress had won 6 seats and was leading in 13 at 5 P.M.

According to news reports, for the BJP, its call for votes on “issues like national interest, national security, army welfare, and religious tourism” have paid off. Counting began at 8 A.M on Thursday. According to news reports, in 2017 the BJP won 57 seats and the Congress won 11. The state has since then had a virtual revolving door of Chief Ministers. The current CM Pushkar Singh Dhami is said to be in close contest with Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri who is leading by over 6,500 votes in Khatima seat. Congress campaign leader and former CM Harish Rawat is reportedly trailing in the Lalkuan seat where BJP candidate Mohan Singh Bisht is ahead by over 16,000 votes.

In the Haridwar Rural seat, Harish Rawat’s daughter Anupama Rawat is leading by over 5,900 votes, over BJP’s Swami Yatishwaranand. The IE reported that Anukriti Gusain, daughter-in-law of former minister Harak Singh Rawat, is trailing behind sitting BJP MLA Daleep Singh Rawat by over 5,900 votes in the Lansdowne seat. Bollywood singer Jubin Nautiyal’s father and BJP candidate Ram Sharan Nautiyal was trailing behind Congress Legislative Party leader Pritam Singh. At about 4 P.M, BJP minister Dhan Singh Rawat had managed a slim lead of over 300 votes ahead of Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal at the Srinagar seat. However, a BJP defector Yashpal Arya, now with the Congress, was reportedly leading with over 1,000 votes on Bajpur seat, but his son Sanjeev Arya was trailing by over 5,000 votes, reported IE.

Well known BJP candidate Satpal Maharaj was leading on Chaubattakhal seat with over 4,400 votes and BJP state president Madan Kaushik was also heading towards a victory on the Haridwar seat, reported IE.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had led the campaign in the state and other star campaigners including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, party president JP Nadda, and Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath, who has roots in the state. Religion has been a big election plank for the BJP, which the Opposition could neither appropriate nor demolish.

Take for example Haridwar, where calls for genocide were given at a Dharm Sansad in December 2021. As per the election commission, by 5 PM on the day of polling, 67.58 percent of eligible voters had cast their votes in this region. High voter turnout was also recorded in two other places in Uttarakhand, namely – Udham Singh Nagar (65.13 percent) and Nainital (63.12 percent). The overall voter turnout in the state stood at 59.37 percent.

Uttarakhand’s incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had played his biggest pre-poll card just days before polling and had announced that if it is voted back to power, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. Dhami said, “Soon after its swearing-in, the new BJP government will form a committee to prepare a draft of Uniform Civil Code in the state. This Uniform Civil Code will provide for the same laws regarding marriages, divorce, land-property and inheritance for all people, irrespective of their faith.”

It was under Dhami’s nose that the Hindutva conclave was held in Haridwar between December 17 and 19, 2021, where hate speech after hate speech was made by religious leaders, right-wing activists, hardline fundamentalist speakers and several calls were made for a Muslim genocide.