Karnaprayag goes to polls tomorrow

The stage is set for polling to Uttarakhand's Karnaprayag assembly seat in Chamoli district tomorrow.

The voting on February 15, when the state went to polls, had to be rescheduled by the Election Commission following the death of BSP candidate Kuldeep Singh Kanwasi in a road accident on February 12.

Consequently polling could be held in only 69 out of a total of 70 seats in Uttarakhand on that date.

A total of 159 polling parties were dispatched to their respective booths in the constituency and security tightened around it amid heavy rain.

There are 91,849 voters, including 46,268 men and 45,581 women, who will exercise their franchise tomorrow to decide the fate of nine candidates including Deputy Speaker of the state assembly Anusuya Prasad Maikhuri of the Congress, S S Negi of the BJP and Jyoti Kanwasi of the BSP, besides six others including Samajwadi Party, UKD and Independent nominees.
 

There are 179 polling booths in Karnaparayag and it is raining heavily everywhere.

13 polling parties deployed in the remote hill areas were dispatched yesterday as they had to go on foot to their booths along unmotorable roads.

156 polling parties were sent today, amid heavy rains, to their respective booths, Chamoli district election office said.

Snowfall is expected in around 19 booths after today's showers.

During the campaigning for the seat, which ended last evening, none of the central leaders of any party came to canvass. State leaders of both the BJP and the Congress held a slew of roadshows and public meetings in Karnaparayag to lure the electorate.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat led the Congress campaign promising more jobs to the people and faster development in hill areas including Gairsain at his public meetings if voted to power for a second time in a row.

BJP leaders Ajay Bhatt,Shyam Jaju, Vijay Bahuguna and Satpal Maharaj have promised better connectivity, education and health facilities in the area to stop the perennial problem of migration from the hills.

The BJP termed the upcoming Rs 12,000 crore all-weather chardham roads project and Rishikesh-Karnaparayag rail link project as major steps which will lead to an economic turnaround of the entire region.