Navjot Singh Sidhu in huge demand as star campaigner in Uttarakhand

Dehradun: Former cricketer and Congress candidate from Amritsar (East) Navjot Singh Sidhu is in high demand as the star campaigner of the Congress in Uttarakhand. 

The demand for Mr Sidhu among the candidates has surpassed that of other Congress star campaigners which include actress Naghma, former cricketer Azharuddin and actor Mithun Chakravarty. 

Sixty of the 70 Congress candidates in the fray want Mr Sidhu to campaign for them. It may be mentioned that in Hardwar, Udhamsingh-nagar and Dehradun, constituting 29 of the 70 Assembly berths, there is a considerable Sikh and Punjabi population. Mr Sidhu is expected to be used mainly in three regions.

For the BJP, it’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi who remains the main vote catcher. 

BJP president Amit Shah is on a a whirlwind tour of the state and addressing three public meeting every alternate day. The other BJP heavyweights which include Union ministers J.P. Nadda, Piyush Goyal and Nitin Gadkari have also been pressed into action by the BJP. 

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who has held two public meetings, is expected to hold a roadshow on February 12. Mr Gandhi will also be holding two public rallies in the state on Thursday.

In Uttarakhand, also called “Dev Bhumi (land of Gods)”, religious sentiments run high and there’s myth that whichever party wins the Gangotri seat, forms the government. 

During the last assembly polls the seat was won by the Congress candidate Vijay Pal Sajwan.

The legend of Gangotri is so powerful, that both BJP and Congress have pumped in all their  resources to win this coveted berth as the saying in the state goes- “way to power in is through Maa Ganga.” This “auspicious” constituency which begins from the Gangotri shrine comprises of over 150 villages.

In 2002 the first election of Uttarakhand congress won the seat and came to power in the state Vijay Pal Sajwan of the Congress defeated the BJP candidate. In 2007 Sajwan lost to Gopal Rawat and BJP formed the government. In 2012 again Sajwan won catapulting the Congress back to power. In 2017  both these old warhorses are facing each other yet again. Speaking to this newspaper, Sajwan said; I have blessings of Maa Ganga and I will win this election and Congress will form the government.”  Trouble brews for the BJP in this constituency  as Surat Ram Nautiyal a former BJP leader and a RSS  veteran has been denied ticket. He is contesting as an independent which could possibly damage the BJP.