Dhami appeals voters to support BJP
CHAMPAWAT: On the last day of campaigning for Champawat bypoll, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday appealed to voters to support the BJP en-masse and be partners in ushering in a new era of development in Champawat district during his whirlwind tour of the assembly constituency.
“I have fascination for this area since childhood and now the god has given me an opportunity to serve the people here. I will leave no stone unturned for its development. I will try to make this constituency a model constituency in the state,” Dhami said while campaigning on Sunday. Dhami has been camping in the area since Friday.
He held road shows and door-to-door canvassing in many areas of the constituency on Sunday.
Addressing a public meeting at Daksha Prajapati in Tanakpur, Dhami said, “My contesting from the Champawat assembly is due to the blessings of Maa Poornagiri and Golju Devta. An action plan for development has been prepared to connect this area with the mainstream. I humbly request all of you that on May 31, all of you must vote in favour of the BJP while ensuring your participation in the festival of democracy.”
The campaigning for the Champawat by-election ended
on Sunday evening. The polling for seat is scheduled for May 31.
For the first time, the BJP has thrown full strength on campaigning to ensure Dhami’s victory while the Congress lagged behind with regard to campaigning for its nominee Nirmala Gahtori.
People of the constituency are witnessing a by-election just after 3-and-a-half-months after the assembly election on February 14.
Newly elected MLA Kailash Gahtori rendered his resignation to pave a way for Dhami to contest the election as he has to be elected to the assembly to continue as the CM.
Dhami had contested the
assembly elections from Khatima in February but was defeated by Congress candidate Bhuwan Kapri with a margin of 5,679 votes.
When Dhami was declared a candidate from the Champawat seat after Gahtori’s resignation, the party started campaigning in the constituency area. It divided the constituency into five sectors and a cabinet minister and an MLA were deployed as in-charge of each sector. Since then, these cabinet ministers and MLAs have been campaigning in these areas regularly.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned for Dhami on Saturday. He addressed a public meeting and held a roadshow in Tanakpur. The BJP witnessed a large gathering in Gandhi ground where Yogi urged voters not to waste the opportunity of the development if CM himself is contesting elections from the area.
On the other hand, the Congress has fielded woman leader Gahtori against Dhami. The Congress is lagging behind with regard to the campaigning because it started campaigning late. Its senior leaders arrived here after May 17, by that time BJP had taken the area in its grip. BJP made several local senior leaders and workers to join the party.
“We are supporters of the Congress but the BJP in government and CM himself is contesting an election in such a condition it is natural voters will vote him rather than our candidate. The voters are saying the BJP is in government and a Congress MLA from the area can’t do much,” said Reshma Parween, former head of Manihar Goth village in Tanakpur. The village has 1,196 votes.
Besides Dhami and Gahtori, Manoj Bhatt and Himanshu Gahtori are contesting the bypoll as Independent candidates.
“Though the BJP is boasting of historic victory from this seat but ground realities are different. We are waiting for a stunning result,” said Bhuwan Kapri, Congress MLA who defeated Dhami from Khatima.