People of Uttarakhand will vote today to choose their next government for the next five years. As many as 632 candidates are in fray for 70 seats spread across 13 districts. A total of 81 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes. The state has always seen a bipolar contest between the BJP and the Congress. However, the entry of Aam Aadmi Party has changed the scenario a bit at a few places. The campaign in the state came to an end on Saturday evening. It will be the fifth assembly election to be held in Uttarakhand after its creation in 2000.
Here are must-know details about the crucial 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly Election:
Election arrangements
– There are a total of 81,72,173 voters in the state and 11,697 polling booths spread over 8,624 locations, said Chief Electoral Officer Saujanya, who does not use a surname.
– For the first time 101 all-women polling booths named ‘Sakhi’ polling booths have been set up in the state. All polling officials at these booths will be women, she said, adding this has been done to encourage women’s participation in the polling process.
– Similarly, six polling booths to be manned by persons with disabilities have also been set up, she said. The presiding officers and polling personnel at such booths will be differently abled.
– Polling will begin at 8 am and conclude at 6 pm.
Top candidates
BJP: Important candidates whose fate is to be decided in these polls include Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, his cabinet colleagues Satpal Maharaj, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Dhan Singh Rawat and Rekha Arya besides state BJP president Madan Kaushik.
Congress: Prominent faces from the Congress in the fray include former chief minister Harish Rawat, former minister Yashpal Arya, state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal and Leader of Opposition in the fourth assembly Pritam Singh.
A look at the star campaigners
Star campaigners of BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Samajwadi Party including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati held a slew of rallies to seek votes for their candidates during electioneering which was held for the most part amid Covid restrictions.
BJP’ Pitch
Seeking a second consecutive term in office, the BJP stalwarts have warned voters against the Congress’s “policy of appeasement” and asked for votes for the party highlighting the big road, rail and air connectivity projects underway in the state and the ones in the pipeline besides the reconstruction of Kedarnath over the past five years.
They have sought votes in the name of a double-engine government for the state’s uninterrupted development over the next five years while Congress which is trying to gain lost ground after its rout at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2017 assembly polls has raised the issues of inflation, unemployment and change of chief ministers in quick succession by the party in power to put spokes in its wheels.
The BJP had won 57 out of a total of 70 seats in Uttarakhand in the last assembly polls limiting Congress to just 11. Two seats had gone to Independents.
Traditionally, the politics of Uttarakhand has been largely bi-polar with Congress and BJP governing the state alternately, but this time the AAP is also in the running fielding its candidates from all the 70 assembly constituencies in the state.
AAP’s pitch
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has asked for votes accusing successive Congress and BJP governments in the state of not fulfilling the aspirations of people that had led to the creation of Uttarakhand in 2000.
It has also offered a slew of freebies including free electricity up to 300 units to every household, Rs 1,000 per month to every woman above 18 years, jobs to every household and an unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000 per month to them until they get the job to lure voters.
