Even before the results are to be announced on coming Thursday, hectic activity has begun for the chief minister’s post in Uttarakhand.
Harish Rawat and Pritam Singh, two main contenders in the Congress, have already met Rahul Gandhi. And the BJP is trying to kill dissent, which erupted after six or seven of its MLAs complained about election sabotage, before March 10, in a bid to keep its flock ready for the battle for the top post of the State. It seems to be evolving plan B in case of a hung Assembly.
Uttarakhand has given mandate alternately to the Congress and the BJP.
Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank recently met his party’s top leadership in New Delhi. Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami is also camping in Delhi for the last two days. Sources said the BJP was looking at all the possible situations that may emerge after the poll results. It had fought the battle with slogan “Abki Baar, Saath par”, meaning it will perform better than the 2017 elections, in which it had scored 57 seats out of the total 70.
‘internal sabotage’
Following the polling on February 14, a few BJP candidates claimed internal sabotage in their areas concerned. Mr. Dhami and the party’s State chief Madan Kaushik were in Delhi to resolve the issue.
For the March 10 counting day, the BJP’s Uttarakhand unit will hold a meeting to discuss its preparation on March 7. The meeting is likely to be attended by State election in charge and Union Minister Prahlad Joshi. All the State’s MPs, district presidents, candidates and in charge will be the part of this meeting.
The Congress, which is fighting a do-or-die battle in the State, is hoping to get a majority to form a government. Although Mr. Harish Rawat remained the poster boy of the party in his capacity as the head of campaign committee, the party could not declare him as its chief minister face in this election.
Congress leaders have been saying that the top leadership will take the final decision in the selection of chief minister after the poll results. Apart from Rawat, Mr. Pritam Singh, who is the leader of Opposition in the Assembly, and State’s party chief Ganesh Godiyal, are in touch with the central leadership. Mr. Godiyal is in the Harish Rawat camp.
Following the revolt of its nine MLAs in the year 2016, the Congress is apparently lacking prominent faces in the State. The 73-year-old Mr. Rawat had undertaken an extensive tour of the State for reviving the party base.
Factionalism
In the 2017 Assembly polls, Mr. Rawat was projected as the chief minister face and the BJP had fought the entire election in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But the 2022 polls are not without factionalism and infighting within the Congress. Its failure to declare its chief minister face is a clear indication.
“We are going to get a clear majority by bagging more than 45 seats,” claimed Mathura Dutt Joshi, secretary (organisation) of the Pradesh Congress Committee.
Mr. Rawat has been constantly targeting the BJP for the alleged foul play in the elections. Accusing the BJP of postal ballot tampering, the Congress is urging the Election Commission of India to conduct repolling. Around 90,000 votes were cast through postal ballots. In this regard, Mr. Godiyal has lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer.
The Congress is going to organise training camps on March 8-9 for its counting agents.
Although both the parties are making tall claims about the victory, a section of political pundits is not ruling out the possibility of a hung Assembly.
