Dehradun, December 23: The assembly elections are due next year in Uttarakhand. Since its formation in 2000, Uttarakhand has never re-elected the party in power for a second consecutive term. Despite this, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident of breaking the jinx. The Congress, on the other hand, is turning every stone to win back the hill state. In 2017, the Congress had declared veteran Harish Rawat as its chief ministerial candidate. But the BJP had not announced its CM face.

Ahead of the Uttarakhand assembly elections 2022, Congress heavyweight Harish Rawat today wrote posts that smack of rebellion just weeks before polls in the hill state. Meanwhile the BJP appears neck-deep in infighting. For the 2022 assembly elections, declaring a chief ministerial candidate would be a daunting task for both the BJP and the Congress. Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022 Opinion Poll Results: BJP Likely to Retain Power, Says ABP-CVoter-IANS Survey.

BJP:

The BJP swept the last assembly elections in Uttarakhand bagging 57 seats in the 70-member house, and Trivendra Singh Rawat became the chief minister. Despite leading the state for about four years, he was suddenly replaced by Tirath Singh Rawat on March 10 this year. Reports said Trivendra was removed because he was “unpopular” and he was against holding the kumbh mela.

Under Tirath Singh Rawat, the Uttarakhand government organised the kumbh, which was held responsible for further spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, the event was called off a couple of weeks ahead of the scheduled date. Soon after, Tirath stepped down and Pushkar Singh Dhami became the chief minister. Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022: BJP Embarks on Door-to-Door Campaign in Poll-Bound State.

Changing three chief ministers within a span of four months triggered perception of instability and infighting within the BJP. Therefore, the ruling camp needs to change this perception if it wants to regain power in Uttarakhand. To project stability and unity among state leaders, the BJP may choose to declare its CM candidate for the 2022 polls.

Former chief ministers Trivendra and Tirath are likely to fight for the top post. In addition, Vijay Bahuguna and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank may be hoping for another term. Both have previously held the chief minister’s post. Then there is incumbent Pushkar Singh Dhami who will be a frontrunner if the BJP decides to announce chief ministerial candidate. Chaubattakhal MLA and cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj is also among hopefuls. Choosing a leader acceptable to the party’s central and state leadership would be challenging task for the BJP as it has too many aspirants in its fold.

Congress:

Amid frequent change of guard and reports of infighting within the BJP state leadership, Congress sees an opportunity at power and its leaders have started started consolidating power and position. Harish Rawat, former chief minister, has said that the party had sent a message on the issue of chief ministerial face by making him the head of the campaign committee.

Interestingly, in September, Harish Rawat said that he “wants to see a Dalit CM in Uttarakhand also”. His comment had come after the Congress appointed Charanjit Singh Channi as the first Dalit Sikh chief minister of Punjab. But his statement is also seen in the context of Dalit leader Yashpal Arya’s return in the Congress. Yashpal Arya had joined the BJP in 2017 but is back in the grand old party now. If the Congress decides to repeat Punjab in Uttarakhand, Yashpal Arya would be the obvious choice for the chief ministerial candidate.

Although Harish Rawat is considered the de facto CM face, it remains unclear who will lead the government if the Congress wrests power in Uttarakhand. Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition Pritam Singh is another contender. He has never lost an MLA election since the formation of Uttarakhand. “There is no dearth of faces. Is my face bad?” Singh was quipped by a channel.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the above article solely belong to the author, who is a contributor.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2021 12:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).