Uttarakhand : These two candidates of Uttarakhand will avenge the defeat of their father, will work hard to decide whether they will win or lose
In Uttarakhand, there is a possibility of interesting contest in Kotdwar and Haridwar (Rural) seats. The daughters of two former chief ministers from these two constituencies are preparing to avenge their father’s defeat. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Ritu Khanduri Bhushan, daughter of former Chief Minister Major General Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri, from Kotdwar seat while Congress has fielded Anupama Rawat, daughter of former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, from Haridwar Rural seat. Khanduri had lost from Kotdwar in 2012 and Harish Rawat from Haridwar Rural seat in 2017. Both had then contested the elections as outgoing chief ministers.
Congress candidate Surendra Singh Negi had won in Kotdwar in 2012 by defeating Khanduri by 4,623 votes. Negi got 31,797 votes while Khanduri got 27,194 votes. Similarly, Harish Rawat, who contested from Haridwar Rural in 2017, lost to Swami Yatheeswaranand of BJP by 12,278 votes. What makes this match more interesting is the fact that both of them are up against the same challengers i.e. Negi and Yatheeswaranand, who defeated their father. The state goes to polls on February 14. Ritu Khanduri Bhushan entered politics in 2017 with the election victory from Yamkeshwar seat. On the other hand, Negi, a former MLA from Kotdwar and a minister in the Harish Rawat government, had lost from this seat in the last assembly elections. Negi has already won the Kotdwar seat once and is ahead of Ritu Bhushan in terms of experience.
Ritu, on the other hand, is a new face, and being the daughter of a stalwart BJP leader, the atmosphere may work in her favor. Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri is considered by many to be one of the best performing Chief Ministers. However, Dhirendra Chauhan, who was denied ticket by the BJP from Kotdwar, is now fielded as an independent candidate and may jeopardize Ritu Khanduri Bhushan’s chances of victory. Election watchers say that Anupama Rawat, who is contesting for the first time, has been working hard in the Haridwar rural constituency for a long time and is engaged with the people at the grassroots level. However, he believes that Yatheeswaranand, a two-time MLA and cabinet minister in the Pushkar Singh Dhami government, is contesting from here for the third time. Therefore defeating them can be a big challenge for Anupama Rawat.
