Dehradun (Uttarakhand): The BJP has wrested control over Kedarnath's seat in the Garhwal division of Uttarakhand. Four seats namely Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, which come under the Char Dham project, are also important from a religious tourism point of view. Besides, Rishikesh and Haridwar seats. In the 2017 elections, BJP had received a major jolt and lost the Kedarnath seat whereas it had secured victory in Gangotri, Rishikesh and Haridwar seats. While this time, the party has lost the Badrinath seat.
Devbhoomi (God's abode) Uttarakhand is known throughout the world for its religious tourism and scores of devotees from India and abroad visit Char Dham as well as Rishikesh and Haridwar.
Political parties to woo voters also keep on promoting religious agendas or push forward projects, which are related to faith. Hindutva cards are played to grab votes.
During the Uttarakhand Assembly polls 2022, the BJP has tried to convert the Kedarnath renovation work as well as installation of the statute of Adi Shankaracharya, into votes, and the party achieved success on this front by securing the win on a maximum number of seats in Uttarakhand. But, Congress always said that the renovation work in Kedarnath was initiated by them, BJP is just taking the credit for beautification work by putting a plaque.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 47 seats out of 70 Assembly seats in Uttarakhand and secured 44.31% votes while Congress had to be satisfied with 19 seats. The vote percentage of Congress stood at 37.95 per cent. While two seats each went to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and others. With this victory, the myth of five years of BJP, followed by five years of Congress rule in the state, since its bifurcation in 2000, has also been broken. Earlier, no party got a chance to rule the state for the second time, but now BJP has broken that myth.
Read Also: U'khand: After Dhami's loss, MoS Ajay Bhatt frontrunner for CM's post?
Surprisingly, BJP's Pushkar Singh Dhami, Congress' Harish Rawat and Aam Aadmi's Chief Ministerial candidate Captain Ajay Kothiyal lost the elections. In the Assembly elections, Education Minister Arvind Pandey has broken the myth of the outgoing Education Minister losing the election. There is also a myth running about the Gangotri Assembly seat of Uttarkashi district. The party whose MLA wins the election from this seat forms the government, which remained intact this time as well, as current MLA Gopal Singh Rawat has passed away. Consequently, BJP had to field Suresh Chauhan from the seat. Therefore, the myth about the Gangotri seat remains intact.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has lost the election from the Khatima seat in the Kumaon division of the state against Congress candidate Bhuvan Kapri thus the government may be formed by any party, but certainly, sitting CM in Uttarakhand will not be able to form a government to become the head of the state. Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat have to face defeat in 2022 from the Lalkuan Assembly seat of Nainital district against BJP candidate Dr Mohan Singh Bisht by more than 14,000 votes. All the ministers of the Dhami government, except CM Dhami and Haridwar Rural candidate Swami Yatheeswaranand, have been able to win from their respective constituencies.
