Lok Sabha election 2019: 5 seats up for grabs in Uttarakhand

In Uttarakhand, 52 candidates are contesting in five constituencies. Main parties are the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). For phase 1 Lok Sabha election on April 11, number of polling centres are 11,235.

The state is primarily divided into two regions -- Kumaon and Garhwal. According to the 2011 census, Uttarakhand has a population of 69,97,433, with 66.75 per cent of its population residing in rural areas.

Currently, all five parliamentary seats are held by the BJP, which also enjoys a majority in the state. In the 2017 assembly elections, BJP won 57 out of the 70 seats. The Congress, which won 11 seats, is the main opposition in the state.

The 2014 Lok Sabha elections had been catastrophic for the Grand Old Party, which had held all five parliamentary seats before that. In the 2009 election, Congress won all five seats. Historically, for Uttarakhand, parties that hold a majority in the state elections, lose the Lok Sabha elections.

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Meanwhile, the state's only prominent regional party, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), has said that it will contest all five seats. Once popular for being at the forefront of the Uttarakhand movement, the UKD failed to get any seats in the state elections held two years ago.

Constituency: Tehri Garhwal
Current MP: Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah (BJP)
Polling date: April 11
Counting date: May 23
BJP candidate: Mala Rajya Laxmi
Congress candidate: Pritam Singh

Constituency: Garhwal
Current MP: Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri (BJP)
Polling date: April 11
Counting date: May 23
BJP candidate: Tirath Singh Rawat
Congress candidate: Manish Khanduri

Constituency: Almora
Current MP: Ajay Tamta (BJP)
Polling date: April 11
Counting day: May 23
BJP candidate: Ajay Tamta
Congress candidate: Pradeep Tamta

Constituency: Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar
Current MP: Bhagat Singh Koshyari (BJP)
Polling date: April 11
Counting date: May 23
BJP candidate: Ajay Bhatt
Congress candidate: Harish Rawat

Constituency: Hardwar
Current MP: Ramesh Pokhriyal (BJP)
Polling date: April 11
Counting date: May 23
BJP candidate: Ramesh Pokhriyal (Nishank)
Congress candidate: Ambrish Kumar

Tehri-Garhwal Lok Sabha Constituency
Constituency number: 1
Reserved: No

The constituency limits were changed according to the delimitations of parliamentary and assembly constituencies in 2008. Deoprayag, Narendranagar, Laxman Chowk, Rishikesh and Rudraprayag constituencies were removed.

Assembly constituencies: Purola, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Ghansali, Pratapnagar, Tehri, Dhanolti, Chakrata, Vikasnagar, Sahaspur, Raipur, Rajpur Road, Dehradun Cantt., Mussoorie

Results of the last four elections:

Manabendra Shah from BJP won the elections in 1999 when Tehri Garhwal was a part of Uttar Pradesh. He was elected again in 2004. Congress candidate Vijay Bahuguna was elected MP in 2009. BJP's Bhagat Singh Koshyari won the elections in 2014 by a margin of over 2.84 lakh votes.

Tehri-Garhwal is considered a Thakur seat in Uttarakhand's local politics. Thakurs constitute nearly 35 per cent of the electorate in the state.

Garhwal Lok Sabha Constituency
Constituency number: 2
Reserved: No
Assembly constituencies: Badrinath, Tharali, Karnprayag, Kedarnath, Rudraprayag, Deoprayag, Narendranagar, Yamkeshwar, Pauri, Srinagar, Chaubattakhal, Lansdowne, Kotdwar, Ramnagar

Results of the last four elections: In 1999, as part of Uttar Pradesh, this constituency was represented by BC Khanduri from the BJP. He was re-elected in the 2004 elections. In 2009, Satpal Maharaj from the Congress won a majority. In 2014, Khanduri won with a margin of over 1.84 lakh votes.

The constituency, also called Pauri Garhwal, is considered dominated by Brahmin voters. Brahmins form at least one-fourth of the state's population. However, this time the BJP has given the ticket to TS Rawat, a Thakur.

Almora Lok Sabha Constituency
Constituency number: 3
Reserved: Yes, for scheduled castes

Assembly constituencies: Dharchula, Didihat, Pithoragarh, Gangolihat, Kapkote, Bageshwar, Dwarahat, Salt, Ranikhet, Someshwar (SC), Almora, Jageshwar, Lohaghat, Champawat.

Results of the last four elections: In 1999, when Almora was a constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Bachi Singh Rawat from BJP won the election. Rawat won again in 2004 in the first election after Almora became a part of newly formed Uttarakhand. In 2009, Congress candidate Pradeep Tamta was elected MP. He lost to BJP candidate Ajay Tamta in the 2014 elections.

The constituency is spread over four districts - Almora, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat. Senior BJP candidate Murli Manohar Joshi hails from this constituency.

Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar Lok Sabha Constituency

Constituency number: 4
Reserved: No

In 2008, the constituency was restructured to include Lalkuwa, Bhimtal and Kaladhungi, Gadarpur assembly constituencies.

Assembly constituencies: Lalkuwa, Bhimtal, Nainital, Haldwani, Kaladhungi, Jaspur, Kashipur, Bajpur, Gadarpur, Rudrapur, Kichha, Sitarganj, Nanak Matta, Khatima.

Results of the last four elections:

In 1999, Congress candidate Narayan Datt Tiwari won the election when Nainital was a part of Uttar Pradesh. In 2004, as part of Uttaranchal, the constituency voted Congress candidate KC Singh Baba as MP. He won again in 2009 elections when the state had been renamed Uttarakhand. People voted Bhagat Singh Koshiyari from BJP in 2014 elections.

The constituency is spread over the hills of Bhimtal and the plains of Rudrapur. While this constituency has traditionally been a Congress stronghold, in 2014, people voted for BJP.

Hardwar Lok Sabha Constituency

Constituency number: 5
Reserved: No

Until 2008, Hardwar constituency was reserved for scheduled castes. In 2008 it became a general category constituency and its limits were redefined. Doiwala from Garhwal was newly included, among eight new assembly constituencies. Iqbalpurpur, Landhaura, Bahadrabad and Laldhang assembly constituencies were excluded.

Assembly constituencies:

Dharampur, Doiwala, Rishikesh, Hardwar, BHEL Ranipur, Jwalapur, Bhagwanpur, Jhabrera, Pirankaliyar, Roorkee, Khanpur, Manglore, Laksar, Hardwar Rural

Results of the last four elections:

When it was a part of Uttar Pradesh in 1999, the constituency had elected BJP candidate Harpal Singh Sathi. In 2004, Samajwadi Party candidate Rajendra Kumar won the election. Congress candidate Harish Rawat won the election in 2009. The BJP resumed power in the constituency in 2014 elections when Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank won a majority.

This constituency is spread over Dehradun and Hardwar districts of Uttarakhand. A total of 15.7 per cent of Hardwar's population is Muslim and 11.9 per cent of those living in Dehradun are Muslims. Former chief minister Harish Rawat had been elected MP from this constituency, considered one of the most important pilgrim sites in the country.

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