CM Pushkar Singh Dhami,Harish Rawat and Kothiyal on major campaign trial, leaving their respective constituencies. What comes out on March 10 is anybody’s guess

The Uttarakhand elections slated to go to polls on 14 th February are on high peak in terms of campaigning, with both the top leaders of Congress and BJP on extensive campaigning mode.

The Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has been extensively campaigning for BJP candidates in various constituencies of Uttarakhand. Yesterday he was in Paudi Garhwal constituency going door to door seeking vote and support for Rajkumar Pori, its official candidate from where Congress has Naval Kishore as Congress candidate who is on a high campaign mode for the last many days, drawing good response from the electorates.

The Uttarakhand CM is rarely getting time to concentrate in Khatima, his own constituency, as his major responsibility is to ensure the victory of majority of candidates so that he is able to stage a come back to power becoming the state CM again.

After the prime minister Narendra Modi, union home minister Amit Shah and party chief J. P Nadda praised him publicly in various largely attended meetings in Uttarakhand giving him a free hand and declaring him as the party’s ablest youngest CM, Dhami’s responsibility becomes more vital. He has therefore taken the party’s cudgels in his own hands campaigning for BJP candidates extensively to ensure the saffron party gets majority seats in the ensuing elections atleast if not 57 seats than above 35 numbers, though BJP leadership has kept their target to 60 seats saying AB KI BAAR SAATH PAAR. On the other hand the chief election strategist Harish Rawat has also come out of his own constituency Lalkuan to campaign for other party candidates.

The Congress party’s major responsibility lies on his shoulders as his maximum candidates got the Congress ticket this time and is also projecting himself as the next prime minister of Uttarakhand.

Yesterday evening Harish Rawat was in Haridwar in support of his daughter’s candidature who is contesting from Haridwar ( Rural) seat. From Haridwar district all the MLAs contesting this time are from Rawat’s camp. He addressed public meetings and participated in well attended road shows as well in which apart from his daughter Anupama Rawat other Congress candidates viz Satpal Brahamchari, Mayor Anita Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Aman Garg, Anuj Kumar Singh etc enthusiastically participated along with their hundreds of supporters hailing their leader with vociferous slogans.

Addressing the public meeting Harish Rawat expressed his serious concern over the prevailing large scale drug and illicit liquor trade going unabated in Haridwar playing with the health and academic career of the young generations.

The law and order situation has also deteriorated beyond control said Rawat. Criticizing cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj of BJP holding him responsible for the deteriorating condition of Haridwar, Rawat called for change of government in Uttarakhand terming it as mandatory and inevitable.

He urged upon the electorates of Haridwar district to massively vote against BJP to get Haridwar rid of inefficient administration, illicit drugs and liquor and anti social elements who have made this religious city literally a hell making the lives of the inhabitants difficult to live in.

He assured the Congress leaders and workers that by the dint of there hard work and dedication Congress will win all the eleven seats from Haridwar, this time. The Uttarakhand election this time has become a close neck to neck contest between Congress and BJP.

However keeping view the oscillating trend of opposition party coming to power after every five years, has given Congress party a confirmed ray of hope of returning back to power. Moreover, in over six to seven surveys done so far in Uttarakhand, the former CM and chief of election campaign committee of Congress Harish Rawat has been the number one choice of the people with other politicians including Pushkar Singh Dhami being far behind.

Similarly the opinion polls have shown neck to neck fight between both the parties though the hard fact remains that the anti incumbency factor does play an important role against BJP, despite their leaders repeated claims of various achievements. However, the fact of the matter is while BJP is trying hard to playing on its Hindu card allegedly raising the issue of Muslims settling in Uttarakhand on vast scale disturbing and damaging its demography and posing threat to the majority community through various social media groups on whatsApp at the decentralised levels percolating down to villages, the Congress party is banking on spreading its voice against skyrocketing inflation, increase in the gas cylinder rates to Rs 900, deteriorating condition of health sector at the village level including mass scale migration to cities towns and unemployment on a vast scale etc with liquor, land n mining mafias in alleged collaboration with leaders at the helm ruling the roost.

The prime minister who had addressed two public meetings in Uttarakhand at Dehradun and Haldwani has sanctioned Rs 37 thousand crores for Uttarakhand’s development and CM Dhami had made more than 500 announcements of various projects compounded with worth 13000 crores over ambitious all weather project and Railway line upto Karnaprayag likely to be completed shortly, with development of Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham including withdrawal of decision of Dewasthan Board etc.

It remains to be seen whether these achievements equalise the skyrocketing inflation, inefficient government of five years changing three CMs and the government not coming true to the expectation of the people of the himalayan state. One, more point : What will AAP score and how much will it affect the chances of BJP and Congress and to what extent, also remains to be seen.