Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a bike rally on the last day of campaigning in Guptkashi and followed it up with a public meeting to seek votes for the BJP candidate Asha Nautiyal.
“Development work done in Kedarnath over the past 10 years has been exemplary and I am confident that the people of Kedarghati will once again make the lotus bloom in this by-election, putting their stamp of approval on the BJP government’s works and policies,” Dhami said.
The by-election is important for both the Congress and BJP. While the BJP faces the challenge of retaining the seat, the Congress is looking to ensure the BJP’s defeat in yet another Hindutva seat after Badrinath.
Badrinath and Kedarnath are two major pilgrimage centres for Hindus in Uttarakhand.
After defeating the Congress 5-0 in the Lok Sabha election, the BJP had to face defeat at the hands of the Congress in the two assembly by-elections that followed in the state – Badrinath and Manglaur.
Congress leaders were also seen as very active during the campaigning to continue the winning streak of the last assembly by-elections.
While Dhami, former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, state BJP in-charge Dushyant Gautam and state president Mahendra Bhatt held public meetings and street meetings on behalf in the fortnight-long election campaign, former chief minister Harish Rawat, state Congress president Karan Mahara, former state Congress president Pritam Singh and Ganesh Godiyal drummed up support for party nominee Manoj Rawat.
On the last day of campaigning on Monday, Godiyal held public contact programmes in Barasu, Sirsi, Trijuginarayan and Sonprayag to ask for votes for Rawat, saying it was an opportunity for the people to elect a strong representative who raises their issues in the state assembly.
Polling is scheduled in Kedarnath on Wednesday.
Once again arch rivals BJP and Congress appear to be locked in a direct contest.
However, apart from Nautiyal and Rawat, four other candidates are also in the fray.
Out of the five assembly elections held in Kedarnath so far, the BJP has won thrice and the Congress twice.
The Kedarnath seat fell vacant after the death of sitting BJP MLA Shailarani Rawat in July this year. Both the candidates, Nautiyal and Rawat, have represented the Kedarnath assembly seat in the past.
Nautiyal won it in 2002 and 2007 as a BJP candidate. Shaila Rani Rawat won it in 2012 on a Congress ticket. She contested the seat as a BJP nominee in 2017 and lost to the Congress’ Manoj Rawat. However, she wrested the seat from Rawat in 2022.
The stakes are high for both parties as the BJP looks to avenge its defeat in the by-election to the Badrinath assembly seat, which the Congress managed to retain despite the saffron party sweeping the Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, a resurgent Congress is looking to emerge triumphant in another Hindutva stronghold after Badrinath.
The opposition narrative of the “BJP tasting defeat in Hindutva strongholds” has gained traction since it lost in Ayodhya in the Lok Sabha election this year despite the hype around the Ram temple.
Congress nominee Manoj Rawat is a journalist-turned-politician, while the BJP’s Nautiyal is a full-time politician who has represented the seat in the state assembly twice, in 2002 and 2007.
She is at present the state BJP Mahila Morcha president.
There are 90,540 voters in the assembly constituency, including 45,775 women voters.
There are 173 polling stations in Kedarnath. The result of the by-election will be declared on November 23.
