Wednesday, 19 January 2022 | PNS | Pauri
Even as all the political parties step up their efforts to convince voters for the ensuing Assembly election, observers state that the poll may witness a close fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. The Congress has consolidated its position to improve its standing and is expected to pose a tough challenge to the ruling BJP. The other parties including Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal may affect the vote share of the two national parties in some constituencies, opine observers.
Considering the Covid pandemic and directions of the Election Commission, the parties are focusing on virtual meets and door to door campaigning. However, the campaigning is expected to pick up steam after declaration of candidates by the Congress and BJP though other parties have declared candidates from some or most constituencies they are contesting from.
Analysts opine that the AAP which is contesting the Assembly election in Uttarakhand for the first time on this scale has elicited response from the voters especially after the visits and interactions of its national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. The AAP has promised various freebies to the public if elected to power with political observers stating that the party may be in a position to make the election a triangular fight on a few seats.
While the voter base of the BSP is limited largely to the plains, the UKD may make its presence felt in some constituencies.
Since assuming charge, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami made effort to consolidate the image of the BJP. He and the BJP are focusing the campaign on development works and important decisions taken by the state government. On the other hand, the Congress may have improved its chances but may face the challenge of internal differences, opine the analysts.
