CM Dhami, Harish Rawat, Col Kothiyal, Satpal Maharaj & other senior leaders fighting the most important political battles of their life
Monday, 14 February 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
In the polling for assembly elections in Uttarakhand to be held on Monday a total of 82,37,913 voters would exercise their franchise in 70 assembly constituencies of the state. In these elections the prestige of many senior leaders and political stalwarts of the state is at stake. For some of them this election could well be the last election of their long political career.
The chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is contesting as a BJP candidate from Khatima assembly constituency. He has won from this seat in 2012 and 2017 and is trying to enter the Vidhan Sabha for the third consecutive time. He is getting a stiff challenge from working president of Uttarakhand Congress Bhuwan Kapdi. Former state president of AAP, S S Kaler is trying hard to make the contest triangular from this prestigious seat. In the constituency more than 30,000 voters of the Tharu tribe are said to be the key for victory.
Like Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar, Lalkuan seat in the Nainital district is the other seat where the contest is being keenly watched by everyone. From this seat the head of the Congress campaign committee of Uttarakhand and former chief minister Harish Rawat is in the fray. Rawat, who is among the most popular leaders of Uttarakhand is facing a challenge from Mohan Singh Bisht of BJP. The rebel candidate of Congress party Sandhya Dalakoti is also in the fray here. The leader of opposition Pritam Singh is seeking entry into the state assembly for a fifth term from his family bastion of Chakrata constituency while the State president of BJP and former cabinet minister Madan Kaushik also trying to get the blessing of people of Haridwar assembly constituency for the fifth time in a row. He is being challenged by Satpal Brahmachari of the Congress party. In the Srinagar assembly constituency the prestige of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal and cabinet minister Dhan Singh Rawat is at stake. This seat was a reserved constituency in the elections of 2002 and 2007. In 2012 Ganesh Godiyal was the MLA from here while Dhan Singh Rawat of BJP won from here in 2017.
The chief ministerial candidate of AAP, colonel (retd) Ajay Kothiyal is seeking his maiden entry from Gangotri assembly seat this time. One of the interesting facts is that the party which wins from this seat forms the government. Apart from Kothiyal, former cabinet minister Vijay Pal Sajwan of Congress and Suresh Chauhan of BJP are in the fray from here.
Cabinet minister and political heavyweight Satpal Mahraj of BJP is contesting from Chaubattakhal assembly constituency. He is being challenged by Keshar Singh Negi of Congress. The speaker of Uttarakhand assembly Prem Chand Agarwal is contesting from Rishikesh assembly constituency and he is pitted against Jayant Ramola of Congress party. Devprayag assembly constituency is another keenly watched seat as former cabinet minister and president of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) Divakar Bhatt is possibly contesting his last election of his political career from here. He is challenged by former cabinet minister Mantri Prasad Naithani of Congress and sitting MLA Vinod Kandari of BJP. Pride of former cabinet minister and another heavyweight Harak Singh Rawat who switched to Congress just before the assembly elections is at stake at Lansdowne assembly constituency. From here his daughter in law and former actress Anukrati Gusain is engaged in a tough battle with Dilip Singh Rawat of BJP. The Ministers of Dhami cabinet Arvind Pandey, Bishan Singh Chufal, Swami Yatishwaranand and Rekha Arya are seeking re entry into the assembly from Gadarpur, Didihat, Haridwar (Rural) and Someshwar assembly constituencies respectively. Former speaker and senior leader Govind Singh Kunjwal is contesting from his traditional Jageshwar constituency. He is being challenged by Mohan Singh Mehra of BJP. Similarly senior leader Yashpal Arya who left BJP and ministerial berth in Dhami cabinet to join Congress is in the fray from Bajpur assembly constituency.
