While 14 th February is just two weeks away, when Uttarakhand goes to poll in seventy assembly seats with three national parties viz Congress, BJP and AAP and one regional party Uttarakhand Kranti Dal in the fray.
Due to prevailing restrictions by the election Commission due to ongoing pandemic till 31st January on public and corner meetings, the campaigning in confined to closed doors and in auditoriums or halls. However, the political parties are visiting various villages of Uttarakhand in different groups, some strictly following Covid 19 protocols but majority of the leaders and workers openly violating the pandemic norms including ministers and responsible party office bearers.
In Uttarakhand while the assembly seats for present CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, former CM n chief election strategist of Congress former CM Harish Rawat and few other seats of some ministers have become hot seats, in Pauri Garhwal district Chowbattakhal seat too has become hot in view of the leading religious leaders and cabinet minister of Uttarakhand and two time central state minister Satpal Maharaj is contesting, being the sitting MLA.
There are several other seats of BJP MLAs n ministers facing anti incumbency risks and Chowbattakhal is one of them from where the Congress has Kesar Singh Negi as its candidate, followed by Aam Admi Party’s Digmohan Singh Negi and Mr. Pant of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal. Among these candidates Satpal Maharaj is the senior most BJP heavyweight whereas the AAP, UKD and Congress nominees are new comers having their debut election.
In 2017 elections Satpal Maharaj of BJP has won this election securing 21 thousand votes defeating his nearest rival of Congress Rajpal Singh Bisht by more than 7000 votes.
However, this time Rajpal Singh Bisht of Congress could not bag the ticket. There were rumours of the former minister Dr. Harak Singh Rawat getting the Congress ticket to pose real danger to Satpal Maharaj but since his daughter in law Anukriti Gusain was already granted ticket from Lansdowne as asked by Rawat, he was sidelined as according to the policy of Congress party one family was authorised for one ticket with veteran Congress leader Harish Rawat and former minister who defected to Congress getting two tickets in a family.
In Harish Rawat’s case while he and his daughter got tickets from Lalkuan and Haridwar( Rural), the sitting MLAs who joined Congress from BJP Yashpal Arya and his son got tickets from their earlier seats Baajpur and Nainital ( Reserve) being sitting MLAs though from BJP. Meanwhile, while the Chowbatta Khal election has become triangular between BJP, AAP and Congress the chances of Satpal Maharaj seem to be bright being the senior most leader and BJP heavy weight.
But if today’s video doing rounds in social media, Satpal Maharaj and his family members are facing opposition in several villages of Chowbatta khal with opponents asking them as to where were they during the last 4.5 years. They had complaints that the MLA Satpal Maharaj had not visited their villages and should give the account of the single development work carried out in their villages. In one of the villages when Uttarakhand’s cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj’s son Shradheyji Maharaj and his team visited for door to door campaigning an infuriated villager whose hand was plastered was seen arguing and questioning the followers of Maharaj :
Where were Satpal Maharajji during the last five years. He arrogantly asked can you just give the acount of a single work done by your MLA saying that he will lose this time. The video shows Maharaj ji’s son Shradheyji politely asking the protestor if he feels good to abuse my father, he may do.
The campaigners finally left the village after meeting other villagers departing with folded hands. It may be recalled that Uttarakhand’s PWD and tourism minister had visited Chowbattakhal and its various hospitals recently and taken the negligent doctors and PWD staff etc to task for not attending the patients and executing the road related works.
The video of Maharaj angrily taking the erring officers to task for not doing the works of roads etc carefully going viral in social media. When member of parliament and minister at the centre Satpal Maharaj had raised the issue of construction of railway lines till Karnaprayag and the credit goes to him for the Rail project being completed in the near future. He had also written to prime minister Narendra Modi regarding bringing the Garhwal, Kumaoni and Jaunsari languages in the eighth schedule.
Though the candidates of AAP and Congress contesting against Satpal Maharaj in Chowbattakhal constituency are new comers but in view if anti incumbency factor going against the ruling party the contest seems to be tuff say political analysts as in politics nothing is certain and fixed and what comes next us anybody’s guess.
However, there are several factors that work in favour and against with only time telling as to which way will the wind flow.
It may be recalled that in various surveys of ABP C voter opinion polls till date there have been nect to neck fight between Congress n BJP with the ruling party having a slight edge. The Times now survey has given BJP tremendous number of seats whereas only a single survey of Deshbandhu giving a clear cut victory for Congress winning more than 40 seats with BJP behind and AAP in third position with two to four seats only.
