The BJP is putting up a high-voltage campaign and the Congress seems to have taken a measured approach as the two parties prepare to battle it out in the five Lok Sabha seats of Uttarakhand that go to polls on April 19. The ruling party swept all five seats of the hill state in 2014 and 2019 While the BJP has run a high-decibel campaign featuring rallies from its top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national president J P Nadda, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Congress seems to be taking a more measured approach with AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi being the only national-level leader addressing a rally in the state since the announcement of polls. The BJP is banking on the “Modi factor” and its recent legislative successes, including the passage of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill and the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, apart from welfare schemes and infrastructure push to bolster its narrative of development. “In accordance with Modiji’s target of 400 paar (above 400), our aim is not only to win all five seats but ensure a victory margin of five lakh votes in each seat,” said Anil Baluni, the former BJP Rajya Sabha MP and its candidate from the Garhwal. In contrast, the Congress seems to be running a subdued campaign and is relying heavily on the probable anti-incumbency stemming from the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, the Ankita Bhandari murder case, unemployment and the Supreme Court ruling on electoral bonds even as it grapples with internal issues. Over the past month, the grand old party has seen a significant number of defections including Badrinath MLA Rajendra Singh Bhandari, Manish Khanduri, son of BJP stalwart and former Chief Minister B C Khanduri, and Anukriti Gusain, the daughter-in-law of senior party leader Harak Singh Rawat. Moreover, many close associates of Harish Rawat have also severed ties with the Congress. The party is hoping that Priyankai’s rally will infuse energy into its cadre in the final stretch of electioneering. Uttarakhand Congress’s chief spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni said the Congress was very much in the fight and would win all the seats in the state. “The soul of a Lok Sabha election is the manifesto. While the BJP formed its manifesto committee only two weeks ago, we formed ours in December last year. We heard people’s expectations with the Bharat Jodo and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. We are moving ahead as per plans and the people of the state are our star campaigners,” she said. The BJP, which won all five seats in the 2019 elections, is looking to consolidate its support base even as it faces a stiff challenge from the Congress in at least Haridwar and Garhwal where the party has fielded Virendra Rawat, son of former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and former state president Ganesh Godiyal respectively. Virendra will be up against former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat of the BJP from the seat which was won by former Union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in 2019. In the high-stakes battle, Rawat, who is still seen as the Congress’s tallest leader in the state, is leaving no stone unturned as the polls not only serve as an opportunity for him to regain his political stature but also could pave the way for his son’s successful foray into electoral politics. Such is his focus on Haridwar that on Friday the former CM apologised to fellow party leaders for not being able to campaign in the remaining constituencies. The senior Rawat’s aggressive push in Haridwar comes in the backdrop of his loss in the 2022 Assembly elections from Lalkuan to BJP first-timer Mohan Singh Bisht. In the 2017 Assembly polls, he lost both his seats — Haridwar Rural and Kichha. The former CM also tasted defeat in the last Lok Sabha elections from the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat, where he lost to BJP candidate Ajay Bhatt. On the other hand, Godiyal will be up against Baluni. The former state Congress chief is a two-time MLA from Thalisain and Srinagar seats. In the 2022 Assembly polls, he lost to the BJP’s Dhan Singh Rawat by a narrow 587-vote margin. Former CM Tirath Singh Rawat of the BJP won the seat in 2019 by over three lakh votes. The BJP has fielded its sitting MPs from the remaining three constituencies. While Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah will take on the Congress’s two-time Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola from Tehri Garhwal, Bhatt will take on the Congress’s former national secretary Prakash Joshi in Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar. Almora, which is an SC-reserved seat, will see a fight between the BJP’s Ajay Tamta and former Congress MP Pradeep Tamta.
