Rawat vs Rawat: A battle of prestige in Uttarakhand’s religious epicentre of Haridwar

Tribune News Service

Neeraj Mohan

Haridwar, APRIL 16

The prestige of two former Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand is at stake as the religious epicentre of Haridwar Lok Sabha seat braces for the April 19 electoral battle.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is stepping into the Lok Sabha electoral arena for the first time, replacing former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in this crucial constituency, while Congress has fielded former Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s son, Virendra Singh Rawat. Both parties are struggling hard to win this religious city, and this seat assumes great political significance in the politics of the Hill State. Virendra Singh Rawat (48) sees this election as the beginning of his political career, while Trivendra Singh Rawat (64) sees this election as a new beginning for central politics.

IN NUMBERS

Total voters: 20.35 lakh

Male: 10.70 lakh

Female: 9.64 lakh

Previous winner: Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (6.65 lakh votes)

Nearest rival: Ambareesh Kumar (4.06 lakh votes)

Voting date: April 19

Contenders in fray: 14

Leaving nothing to chance, Harish Rawat himself leads the election campaign of his son and spearheads a series of roadshows, door-to-door canvassing, and street-corner gatherings, often seen leading the convoy of motorcycles. Virendra, usually found nodding in agreement beside Rawat, accompanies the former CM to yet another public gathering. Party members, anticipating Rawat’s efforts to be distributed statewide given his seniority in the party, are barely concealing their dissatisfaction. Since the central leadership of the Congress is missing from the campaign, besides Priyanka Gandhi, who addressed two rallies for Virendra Rawat, not even a single leader from the Congress campaigned in Uttarakhand. Even Rawat’s daughter, Anupama Rawat, who currently serves as the representative for Haridwar Rural in the state assembly, is also helping her brother with a door-to-door campaign.

On the other hand, Trivendra Rawat, a political veteran of three decades, also led an intensive campaign. The advantage for Trivendra is that, besides his local leadership, he also has the support of the BJP’s central leadership and Yogi Adityanath.

Given the religious significance of Haridwar, which draws pilgrims from all corners of the country, the constituency remains a top priority for both the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). With 13 Akharas housing saints and seers, the political stakes are high in this sacred terrain.

Confident in his prospects, Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed assurance of victory, citing extensive support from various segments of society. He emphasised the BJP’s focus on effective booth management, particularly highlighting the significant presence of agricultural laborers benefiting from central schemes and their reverence for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP’s confidence is further buoyed by its success in attracting prominent figures from other parties in Haridwar into its fold.

However, the electoral landscape in Haridwar is further complicated by the presence of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has fielded Jamil Ahamad Qasmi as its candidate. With a significant support base among SC voters, the BSP’s entry into the fray poses challenges for both the Congress and the BJP. The BSP commands nearly 35 per cent vote share of Muslims and Dalits. In the last Lok Sabha election, the BSP got 14 percent of the total polled votes in Uttarakhand.

Amid these dynamics, Khanpur MLA Umesh Kumar Pattarkar has thrown his hat into the ring as an independent candidate, further fragmenting the electoral calculus.

The SC electorate, divided between the BSP, BJP, and Congress, aims to retain its Muslim voter base. Presently, the Haridwar constituency boasts a voter base exceeding 20 lakh votes, comprising over four lakh Muslims and three lakh Dalits, while the Other Backward Classes including Gurjars, Sainis and Jats are around 20 percent. Whereas the upper-castes including Brahmins, Thakurs, and Baniyas make a total 30%.

Besides the cleaning of Ghats and Ganga, unemployment, lack of cleanliness, traffic jams and surge in population of the religious towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh are the major issues for the people of Haridwar. “No doubt the Char-Dham Yatra project has brought big development to Uttarakhand. But now the religious towns have become tourist hotspots, and rich industrialists are purchasing properties here, which is a threat for the locals. We cannot see our religious places converting into tourist places like Goa," said a local priest Mahesh Joshi.

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