Uttarakhand election 2022: How 'others' perform will decide who wins the race
India Today
Uttarakhand has always witnessed a close contest between the BJP and Congress, who corner nearly a third of total votes each, leaving a third for others.
In Uttarakhand, the assembly polls have been predicted to be a tight race between the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its main challenger, the Congress. The hill state has always witnessed a close contest between the two parties, who corner nearly a third of total votes each, leaving a third for others. This has been the case in three out of four assembly elections in the state since its formation.
In 2017, however, the BJP won 47 per cent of the votes and won 56 of the 70 seats on offer. In fact, in 21 out of 70 seats, the winner received 50 per cent or more votes and most such seats went the BJP's way. This was a rarity in a state known for tight contests.
Even though the Congress maintained its vote share at 34 per cent in 2017, its seats tally dropped to just 11.
The vote share of other parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), dropped from 33 per cent in 2012 to just 20 per cent in 2017. Numbers clearly show that the BJP’s entire gain in the last assembly elections was at the expense of 'others'.
This time, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been touted as a significant 'other'.
What makes the electoral contest in Uttarakhand an open-ended one is the multiplicity of what are known as swing seats — the seats that can go either way. Of the 70 seats in the state, as many as 36 of them have changed hands frequently, data shows. In the remaining 34 seats, the incumbent has managed to retain the seat in more than one election. The BJP has an advantage in such seats.
The keenly watched seats include Khatima, Lalkuan, Srinagar, Gangotri, Lansdowne, and Kotdwar. Gangotri is a classic swing seat that changes hands every five years. AAP’s chief ministerial candidate Ajay Kothiyal is contesting from Gangotri.
