In Rawat vs Rawat in Haridwar, a test of pride for two former CMs
Two former Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand — Harish Rawat of the Congress and Trivendra Rawat of the Bharatiya Janata Party — are battling it out in the holy city of Haridwar, believed to be the gateway to salvation by many devout Hindus.
Mr. Harish Rawat, 76, opted out of the electoral race in favour of his 49year-old son, Virender, but remains very much on the ticket. In contrast, the BJP has elded Mr. Trivendra Rawat in place of the former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, who won this seat in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Notwithstanding a recent road accident, Mr. Harish Rawat has been campaigning relentlessly for his son, with 15 to 18 hour workdays dedicated to reaching out to the voters both physically and digitally.
In the Haridwar Lok Sabha constituency, which has over 20 lakh voters, the forward castes are numerically strong. There is also a signicant population of Muslims in the district, around 34% as per the 2011 Census, as well as a considerable SC/ST populace. The Congress is hoping to consolidate the votes of both communities in its favour.
The battle is no cakewalk for Mr. Trivendra Rawat. This is the rst parliamentary election for him in his 30-year-long political career. It is also his rst big opportunity after his unceremonious sacking before he concluded his term as Chief Minister.
He is headlining his campaign with the Ram temple and the Uniform Civil Code issues, with other developmental issues such as the Char Dham road project, the clean Ganga mission, and many other schemes also guring in his speeches.