Yamkeshwar (Uttarakhand): The Yamkeshwar Assembly constituency in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district is witnessing an interesting contest between a former chief minister’s daughter, a party-hopper and a plethora of disgruntled politicians contesting as independents.
Ritu Khanduri, the daughter of former Uttarakhand chief minister B.C. Khanduri is contesting on a BJP ticket. Her father is also a sitting MP from Garhwal, under which Yamkeshwar falls. However, the contest is certainly not one sided. Ms Khanduri is facing stiff competition from the Congress candidate and independents.
Since the formation of Uttarakhand, this seat has always been won by the BJP. In the 2017 elections, the BJP denied its sitting MLA Vijaya Barthwal a ticket, but instead gave it to Ms Khanduri. This caused a major rebellion in the ranks and Ms Barthwal went ahead and filed her nomination as an independent candidate. The BJP leadership intervened and eventually persuaded Ms Barthwal to withdraw her nomination and throw her weight behind Ms Khanduri. Ms Barthwal has been a MLA from this seat since 2002 and has been a minister in the state. Officially, Ms Barthwal is not contesting, but insiders feel she is not campaigning effectively for the BJP candidate.
Sensing an opportunity, the Congress dropped its 2012 candidate Renu Bisht and gave the ticket to BJP rebel Shailendra Singh Rawat. Though Mr Rawat hails from the neighbouring Kotdwar constituency, he has a sizeable influence in Yamkeshwar too. Mr Rawat was upset with the BJP as he was once again denied a ticket. With him now joining the Congress, his influence will work in both constituencies of Kotdwar and Yamkeshwar.
Politics in Uttarakhand is as treacherous as its hilly terrain. The Yamkeshwar candidate dropped by the Congress, Renu Bisht, filed her nomination as an independent candidate. Another BJP leader who had quit the party six months ago, Prashant Badoni, is also in the fray as an independent.
Instead of a two-way contest between the Congress and the BJP, it has now become a four-way contest with two strong independents also in the fray.
Yamkeshwar has around 84,000 voters, and about 70 per cent of them reside in villages.
