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BJP Secures All Five Seats in Uttarakhand, Congress Fails again to Reclaim Lost Glory

News18.com

Last Updated: May 23, 2019, 18:43 IST

File photo of Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat (PTI)

File photo of Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat (PTI)

Uttarakhand, which was carved out of Uttar Pradesh 19 years ago, witnesses the battle between traditional rivals BJP and Congress.

Uttarakhand Lok Sabha Election Results 2019: Going for yet another clean sweep, the Bharatiya Janata Party won all the five seats in Uttarakhand. BJP’s key player Ajay Bhatt defeated former chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat in the Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar constituency Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar constituency by a margin of 2.5 lakh votes at the time of filing this report, in the Lok Sabha Election Results 2019.

In Almora, BJP candidate Ajay Tamta won over Congress' Pradeep Tamta. BJP's Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank defeated Ambrish Kumar of Congress.

Continuing her dominance on the Tehri Garhwal seat, BJP's Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah retained her old bastion by defeating Congress' Pritam Singh

Congress' key candidate Manish Khanduri, who recently joined the party, had to face defeat at the hands of BJP's Tirath Singh Rawat.

The two national parties—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress—have been the traditional rivals in the region since Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

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Here are the top ten developments from the state:

1) The saffron party, led by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, put up a strong fight against Congress, which has on and off dominated the seen in the state. The key candidates were Congress leader and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and BJP state chief Ajay Bhatt contesting from Nainital.

2) With Bhatt being a new face in Nainital, Trivendra Rawat was campaigning vigorously for him, while he also went on a whirlwind of tour across the state. This 'battle of CMs' made Nainital one of the most keenly observed seat in these General Assembly elections.

3) The News18-IPSOS exit poll predicted that the BJP is set to win 4 out of the 5 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttarakhand. In 2014, the BJP had swept the general elections, winning all five seats. Prior to this, in 2009, Congress had achieved the same feat. The grand old party will now be fighting to regain its old glory.

4) A voter turnout of 61.50 % was recorded in Uttarakhand which went to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019. The state had registered 60.7 % voting in 2014 general elections. With a vote share of 55.65%, the BJP had swept the state.

5) It’s a first for Congress' Harish Rawat in Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar constituency. The 'poster boy' of Congress, Rawat, has fought and won polls from Almora and Haridwar before. He has been a five-time MP and was the minister of water resources in the cabinet of Manmohan Singh during 2012-2014.

6) Nainital is considered a prestigious seat as it was previously held by former defence minister KC Pant and former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand CM, the late ND Tiwari.

7) BJP stalwart Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who was outed of the poll race this year, has been a known face in Nainital for years and is also the sitting MP.

8) Among other major players are BJP leader BC Khanduri's son Manish from Pauri Garhwal. He is faced with Khanduri's disciple Tirath Singh Rawat. Tirath was elevated to the post of state president in 2013 due to the "blessings of his political guru" BC Khanduri.

9) The Tehri constituency will also witness a tough battle between Uttarakhand Congress chief Pritam Singh and BJP's sitting MP Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah. Singh is credited with winning the Chakrata seat despite his party faring poorly in the last assembly election. Though a sitting MP from the Tehri royal family which has a strong political hold in the constituency, Shah faces the challenge of overcoming an anti-incumbency factor and taking on a strong opponent in Singh.

10) This time, the key issues in the hill state were the man-animal conflict, migration and weakening agricultural practices, unemployment and job crisis, lack of drinking water supply and poor road connectivity. Surprisingly, the pitch to make Gairsain the state capital was missing from the discourse this time, though it was hotly debated during the assembly polls.

first published:May 23, 2019, 07:19 IST
last updated:May 23, 2019, 18:43 IST