Over-confidence, riding roughshod, internal party dynamics led to BJP defeat in Uttarakhand bye- poll

Over-confidence, riding roughshod, internal party dynamics led to BJP defeat in Uttarakhand bye- poll

S.M.A.KAZMI

Dehradun, July 13

The Congress party victory in bye-elections for the Badrinath and Mangalore assembly segments of the Uttarakhand state assembly, clearly indicate that people who three months ago had overwhelmingly voted for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections are not willing to buy their narrative. In the Lok Sabha elections, BJP had won all the five seats of the state for the third consecutive time in a row but lost both the bye-elections despite every effort.

Badrinath, a religious place was important for the BJP which based its’ politics on ‘Hindutva’ all across the country particularly in Uttarakhand having an upper caste Hindu majority. Uttarakhand had become the latest laboratory of ‘Hindutva’ after Gujarat with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami pursuing a relentless anti- Muslim campaign since 2021. A defeat at Badrinath assembly segment from where BJP recently led in the Lok Sabha polls has come as an embarrassment for the saffron outfit.

The main reason of defeat of the ruling BJP was over confidence in believing that whatever the party did would be accepted by the people of the state who had been earlier swayed in the name of ‘Hindutva’. In a campaign to win over opposition Congress leaders before the Lok Sabha polls, BJP had persuaded Rajinder Bhandari, the sitting Congress legislator to jump the fence. The wife of Rajinder Bhandari, a former Chamoli Zila Panchayat chief had been facing alleged corruption charges and this perhaps also played a role in his switching over sides. He had resigned his seat to pave the way for bye-election with a promise by BJP to again give him party nomination. But the result showed that the people of Badrinath assembly segment did not liked the cross over and didnot wanted to be taken for granted in the name of Hindutva politics but instead reposed faith in Lakhpat Singh Butola of Congress who won by over five thousand votes.

The internal dynamics of the BJP also reportedly played a role in the defeat of Rajinder Bhandari as most of the local party workers and leaders including State BJP President Mahender Bhatt, who lost to Bhandari in 2022 assembly polls were not favourably inclined towards him. Rajinder Bhandari was roped in by another BJP stalwart and party media incharge Anil Baluni who was contesting from Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat. Anil Baluni who won the Pauri Garhwal seat is considered close to PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He was earlier member of Rajya Sabha from the state but his victory in Lok Sabha polls is also seen as emergence of another power centre in BJP politics parallel to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in the long run.

The victory of Qazi Nizamuudin of Congress from Mangalore assembly segment by narrow margin of 422 votes against Kartar Singh Bhadana of BJP and Obaidurrehman of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) showed deft political handling by the Congress candidate, who had been thrice legislator from this Muslim majority seat.

The bye-election was necessitated following the death of sitting BSP candidate Sarwat Karim Ansari in a segment having majority Ansari Muslim community. BSP had given party nomination to Obaidurrehman alias Monty con of the deceased sitting legislator with an aim to garner sympathy votes. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, Congress had scored 41,000 votes as compared to 21,000 votes by BJP. However, BJP unable to find a local candidate banked upon Kartar  Singh Bhadana, a Gujjar leader from Haryana who had hoped and jumped few parties and states to join the BJP before elections.

The Uttarakhand BJP which in the past had even removed first Chief Minister of the state Nityanand Swami on the allegations of hailing from Haryana this time is drawing satisfaction that the party did well to first time making it a close contest pushing the BSP to the third spot. Qazi got more than 32,000 votes closely followed by Kartara Singh Bhadana. The BSP candidate got more than 19,000 votes mostly Muslim Ansari and Dalit votes making it a bit difficult for Congress candidate. Qazi had lost to Sarwat Karim Ansari of BSP in 2022 assembly elections by a margin of more than five hundred votes.  The violence allegedly perpetuated by ruling BJP party on polling day helped Qazi Nizamuddin to consolidate his position leading to a narrow victory.

The opposition Congress leaders are claiming a turnaround in the politics of the state politics where they registered victory after repeated defeats since 2017 and 2022 assembly polls and 2014, 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state.

But, more than opposition Congress, it was the over-confidence and riding roughshod against the popular sentiments of masses which put the BJP on the mat in these bye-elections.