The Congress stake claim to form a new government in Uttarakhand after it emerged as the single largest party today in an otherwise fractured mandate in the Assembly polls, the results for which were declared.
The party won 32 seats, with state chief Yashpal Arya and the leader of Opposition in the previous Assembly, Harak Singh Rawat, winning with good margins. Both the leaders were being seen as hot contenders in the race to be the chief minister, as the Congress took a one-seat lead against the ruling BJP in the 70-member House. Union minister Harish Rawat suffered a setback, as the Congress performed badly from his constituency of Haridwar, dimming his prospects as a contender for the top job.
The ruling BJP belied all predictions, managing to bag 31 seats. The better-than-expected show notwithstanding, the defeat of chief minister B C Khanduri came as a major jolt to the party. The 77-year-old retired major general, who led the “Khanduri hain zaroori” campaign, was defeated by Congress’ Surendra Singh Negi for the Kotdwar seat by 4,632 votes.
| UTTARAKHAND | ||
| Party | Seats won | |
| 2007 | 2012 | |
| BJP | 36 (31.90)* | 31 |
| INC | 20 (29.59) | 32 |
| BSP | 8 (11.76) | 3 |
| UKKD | 3 (10.81) | - |
| Others | 3 (12.81) | 4 |
| Total | 70 | 70 |
| *Numbers in parenthesis represent vote % | ||
Earlier in the day, BJP got off the mark from Sitarganj seat in the Kumaon region, when the first result went in its favour after its candidate Kiran Chand Mandal bagged the seat. Even so, early projections in some seats gave the Congress some decisive lead. But, by afternoon, the BJP had bounced back to take a narrow lead.
| AGENDA** |
| * Pending power projects to be completed in three years * Unemployment allowance to be raised from Rs 750 to Rs 2,250 * IT, pharma to get tax sops; SMEs to get a boost * Boost for administrative transparency |
| OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES |
| * The BJP rule resulted in the per-capita income doubling in the past 5 years * Power firms facing T&D losses * More than one chief ministerial aspirant in the state, with Harish Rawat facing stiff competition from Vijay Bahuguna |
| **Winning party’s poll promise |
However, the Congress eventually managed to overtake its rival — taking a one-seat lead in the evening, following a seesaw-like fight.
The BSP, which could now play a decisive role in the government formation, won three seats. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal-Panwar (UKD-P) won one seat, while three independent candidates — mostly Congress rebels — also won.
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The Congress now hopes to rope in these independent candidates to form a new government. “We are in touch with the UKD and independents,” said a spokesperson of the party. “They have already assured us their support.”
Raj Bhavan would invite the Congress to form a government, according to a top official.
Khanduri, a former Parliamentarian, said he did not have a “magic wand” when he became chief minister five months ago, but claimed he tried to do “as much as possible” for the state. “When I was given charge of the state (replacing Ramesh Pokhrial ‘Nishank’), I had only three months and 11 days to go. I was not able to spend enough time in my own constituency,” he added.
Now, it seems the Congress will have to take up the task of generating greater economic opportunities across the 12-year-old state.
Even as the state had benefited from a special industrial package, given by the erstwhile NDA government, allowing tax holidays to companies that invested in these areas, the Centre has now removed this special package, further crippling the state.