Uttarakhand Lok Sabha Polls 2024: BJP vs Congress Battle in First Phase

Five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand go to polls on Friday, with BJP eyeing hat-trick and Congress attempting revival amid local issues like unemployment.

The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is a real battleground since it is the first of all to participate in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

On April 1, 2024, voters across the five Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttarakhand will vote as the state begins voting in the first phase of the general elections. There are 11,729 polling stations, and 83 lakh eligible voters will also participate in the elections that involve the seats of Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, and a reserved constituency of Almora.

The BJP, which won all five seats in 2014 and 2019 and is expecting a third win in a row, is keen on keeping the opposition out of power. The part has nominated former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat from Haridwar, former ministers Ajay Bhatt (Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar) and Ajay Tamta (Almora), as well as Anil Baluni from Pauri Garhwal and Mala Rajya Rajya Laxmi Shah from Tehri Garhwal.

The chief rival, the Indian National Congress (INC), aspires to overtake the leadership in the Hill state. Chief Minister Harish Rawat's son, Virendra Rawat in Haridwar, and ex-Chief Minister Ganesh Godiyal in Pauri Garhwal are the key faces in the mandate of the party. The party has given nominations to Jot Singh Gunsola (Tehri Garhwal), Prakash Joshi (Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar), and Pradeep Tamta in Almora.

BJP's campaign was centered on a development agenda, historical stability, and the image of Modi as the prime minister. On the other hand, Congress went on an offensive against the ruling BJP over issues like unemployment, inflation, and migration from the hills. Big-shot politicians of the ruling and opposition parties, such as PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and many others, have chosen the state for roaming around in order to woo voters.

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The Modi factor could be decisive in BJP's favor, as political analysts predict. But, some local issues may also interfere with BJP's all-pervasive sweep. Chairs like Haridwar and Pauri Garhwal are supposed to be fiercely contested by the two national parties.

Voting shall start at 7 AM and end at 5 PM at all polling locations, and very hard security arrangements will be in place. The Election Commission has put in place detailed arrangements in order to get the election to be held in a free, fair, and calm atmosphere on Friday.