With exit polls predicting a close race in Uttarakhand, leaders of both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have exuded confidence about emerging victorious during the counting of votes on Thursday.If BJP is able to win the election, it will be the first time that a government will be repeated since the formation of Uttarakhand.Congress is hoping to gain from "anti-incumbency" against the government.The BJP had won 57 out of 70 seats in the last assembly polls, a rise of 26 seats from its 2012 tally.The BJP had secured 46.51 per cent vote share in the 2017 polls. The Congress could win only 11 seats though the party had 33.49 per cent vote share.The BJP changed three chief ministers in about a year in the hill state. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is in the fray from the Khatima constituency in Udham Singh Nagar district.Dhami has said the party's numbers will be more than that predicted by exit polls."Most exit polls have shown the BJP government again forming in Uttarakhand. Our actual numbers will be more than what has been projected by the exit polls, and the party will form a majority government... People have given the certificate of the work done by the BJP in the state," he said.
Congress poll effort is led by former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who is in the fray from Lalkuwa seat. He had initially decided to contest from Ramnagar seat in Nainital district. While Rawat is leading the party's campaign, he has not been declared the party's chief ministerial candidate. He is up against BJP candidate Mohan Singh Bisht and Aam Aadmi Party's Chandrashekhar Pandey.Harish Rawat on Wednesday exuded confidence of Congress emerging a full majority in Uttarakhand Assembly elections."We are sure that we are going to get a full majority. We do not have a C-plan. But there are many senior leaders who have not been able to get tickets, we will take their cooperation," he said.The Aam Aadmi Party is also keen to emerge as a big player in the state and projected Col Ajay Kothiyal (retd) as the chief ministerial candidate. He is contesting from the Gangotri seat and will lock horns with BJP's Suresh Chauhan and Congress' Vijaypal Singh Sajwan.In the Tehri seat, Congress' Dhan Singh Negi, who won the seat as BJP candidate in 2017, is up against expelled Congress leader Kishore Upadhyay who later joined the BJP. State BJP president Madan Kaushik is contesting from Haridwar.Anukriti Gusain, daughter-in-law of former Uttarakhand Minister Harak Singh Rawat, has been fielded by the Congress from Lansdowne.Harish Rawat's daughter Anupama is in the fray from Haridwar (Rural). Harish Rawat had lost the seat in 2017. She is against BJP's Swami Yatishwaranand.The exit polls have predicted a tight race in Uttarakhand with many of them giving an edge to the BJP in forming the government. Some exit polls also predicted that Congress would finish ahead and could cross the halfway mark in the 70-member assembly.The polling in the state took place on February 14 in a single-phase election.
( With inputs from ANI )
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