Cong relies on local leaders against BJP’s blitzkrieg of star campaigners
Wednesday, 17 APRIL 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In the ongoing campaign for the Lok Sabha elections on the five seats of Uttarakhand which will end on Wednesday evening, the ruling BJP has unleashed a battery of star campaigners. The Congress on the other hand is primarily banking on the charisma of its local leaders and the personal efforts of the candidates. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on whose face, performance and guarantees the election campaign of BJP is revolving in order to achieve the target of 370 plus seats in ensuing Lok Sabha elections, has already addressed two mega rallies in Uttarakhand. Apart from the PM, a phalanx of star campaigners and central leaders of BJP have addressed public meetings in Uttarakhand. On the other hand, only Priyanka Gandhi has addressed rallies in the State from the Congress party. Former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot will address a public meeting in Haldwani on Wednesday in support of Congress candidate from the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar constituency Prakash Joshi.
PM Modi has addressed election rallies in Rudrapur of Udham Singh Nagar and Rishikesh to focus on the voters of Kumaon and Garhwal regions.
In the PM’s rally of Rishikesh, the BJP’s candidate from Garhwal Anil Baluni, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah from Tehri and Trivendra Singh Rawat from Haridwar were present while in Rudrapur, the PM sought votes for party candidates from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar (Ajay Bhatt) and Almora ( Ajay Tamta). The Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath who is in huge demand in Uttarakhand has also addressed rallies in Srinagar, Roorkee and Dehradun in support of party candidates. The Home minister Amit Shah has also addressed public meetings in Uttarakhand. On Tuesday Shah addressed the public at Kotdwar in Pauri district in support of Baluni. The national president of BJP, JP Nadda has visited the State twice in recent times to campaign in support of party candidates.
The Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister Smriti Irani, Union MoS general (retd) VK Singh and Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini have also addressed public meetings in Uttarakhand for BJP candidates.
In sharp contrast to the BJP, from the Congress only Priyanka Gandhi has so far visited the State. The vice president of Uttarakhand Congress Mathura Dutt Joshi said that former deputy CM of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot will address a public meeting in Haldwani on Wednesday. Apart from Pilot no other senior leader of the Congress party is likely to come to the State for campaign which is ending on Wednesday. In such a situation, the senior leaders of the State Congress have plunged themselves in the campaign to support party candidates. The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara has addressed a large number of public gatherings in various parts of the State. Similarly the head of Congress campaign committee Pritam Singh has addressed many meetings particularly in Tehri constituency. The leader of opposition (LoP) Yashpal Arya is focussing on Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar while former CM Harish Rawat has taken the charge of campaign of his son Virendra Singh Rawat in Haridwar. In Garhwal local leaders like former cabinet ministers Surendra Singh Negi and Mantri Prasad Naithani are standing shoulder to shoulder with party candidate Ganesh Godiyal in garnering support from the electorate.
