Uttarakhand, February 11: The stage is set for the Assembly Elections 2022 in Uttarakhand. The voting for Uttarakhand Assembly Election 2022 will be held on 70 constituencies in a single phase on February 14. The counting of the votes is scheduled for March 10, and by the evening, the Goa Assembly Election 2022 results will be declared.
In the state of Uttarakhand, the power has been alternating between Congress and BJP. Congress will be hoping to come back to power by defeating the BJP in a do-or-die battle. AAP has also been campaigning in the hilly state for the last two years and has gained decent popularity. Meanwhile, BJP’s Pushkar Dhami and Congress’s Harish Rawat, Bhuwan Chandra Kapri, and Ajay Kothiyal of AAP remain the key contestants. Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022: From CM Pushkar Singh Dhami To Harish Rawat, Here Are Five Key Candidates Contesting The State Vidhan Sabha Polls.
Here Are Key Electoral Battles:
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami vs Bhuwan Chandra Kapri: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will be taking on his old rival, Bhuwan Chandra Kapri of the Congress at Khatima constituency. The battle between these two will be an interesting one as it is not easy for any Chief Minister to win their own seat in the state Assembly election in the hill state. Many former CM's of Uttarakhand had lost following completing their tenure as State Chief Minister.
Manoj Rawat vs Shaila Rani Rawat: Shaila Rani Rawat was among the nine Congress MLAs who had rebelled against the then Harish Rawat government in 2016. BJP has fielded Shaila Rani Rawat against Congress' Manoj Rawat. However, AAP's Suman Tiwari is also expected to give tough fights to the heavyweights of the Kedarnath constituency.
Harish Rawat vs Mohan Singh Bisht: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat will be pitted against BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht in the upcoming Assembly Elections 2022 in the Lalkuwa seat. Harish Rawat, after losing state assembly polls 2017 and Lok Sabha polls 2019, is hoping to be back on the winning track. While, BJP's Pawan Chauhan, after being denied ticket, is now contesting as an independent candidate.
Madan Kaushik vs Satpal Brahmchari: Uttarakhand BJP president Madan Kaushik will be up against Congress' Satpal Brahmchari from the Haridwar seat. Madan Kaushik has not lost a single state election after the formation of the hill state. Satpal Brahmchari has served as a Nagar Palika chairman.
Ajay Kothiyal vs Vijaypal Singh Sajwan vs Suresh Chauhan: The battle of Gangotri will be fierce as the three heavyweights will be pitted against each other in a triangular contest. Aam Aadmi Party's Chief Ministerial candidate Colonel (Retd.) Ajay Kothiyal, Congress candidate Vijaypal Singh Sajwan and BJP candidate Suresh Chauhan are in the key contests in the Gangotri constituency.
In the 2017 elections, the BJP bagged 57 seats, while the Congress won 11 seats. Independents remained victorious on two seats. Notably, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) failed to open their accounts in the 2017 Uttarakhand polls.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 11, 2022 06:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).