Uttarakhand elections: BJP claims win on more than 60 seats, Congress more than 45

Khatami (Uttarakhand): Incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday claimed that the BJP will win handsomely in the Uttarakhand assembly polls creating a new record for the state that is voting for all 70 constituencies.

However, Bhuvan Chandra Kapadi, who is the Congress candidate against Dhami, denied any such situation and expressed confidence that Congress will form the government with 45 plus seats.

“Ever since (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi assumed charge, all myths have busted, all historical records have been broken. This year, Uttarakhand too will witness a new history,” Dhami told IANS as he went to cast his vote in his constituency here.

Dhami was commenting in view of the fact that ever since the state was formed in 2000, Uttarakhand has had a history of not repeating any party in the assembly elections.

Asked about the prospects, Dhami said, “Abki Baar Saath Paar (This time, we shall win more than 60 seats).”

His rival from the seat and Congress’ executive president Kapadi, on the other hand said, it is Dhami’s misunderstanding and that his party will form the government.

“It is not a question of a person’s post or his personal stature. What matters most is his work. And there is no work done in Khatima. He has favoured business people. All that he gave people of Khatima is traffic jams whenever he came here during the last six months,” Kapadi said.

Asked why the people of Khatima would vote for him, Kapadi said, “Congress had given 8.5 acres land for Goshala but till 2019, BJP did not allow building of that Goshala. In that year, they cancelled it and allotted it to other people, leaving the SC brothers who were tilling that land for the last 50 years. Then, who is responsible for the loss of lives and loss of crops due to stray cattle all these years?”

Taking a jibe at BJP’s claims of winning over 60 seats, he said, “They also promised Rs 15 lakh for all, they also promised 2 crore employment. It is only an election stunt.”

Apart from Dhami and Kapadi, former Congress Chief Minister Harish Singh Rawat, Aam Aadmi Party’s Chief Ministerial candidate Col Ajay Kothiyal and other leaders such as Satpal Maharaj (BJP), Madan Kaushik (BJP), Yashpal Arya (Congress), Subodh Unniyal (BJP), Dhan Singh Rawat (BJP), Arvind Pandey (BJP), Ganesh Godiyal (Congress state president) and Preetam Singh (Congress) are trying their luck at the hustings.

(IANS)