Haridwar Gears Up for High-Stakes Battle: Former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat Faces Off Against Ex-CM’s Son

Haridwar: With Haridwar, along with four other Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttarakhand, set to go to polls on April 19 in the first phase of General Elections, all eyes are on the high-profile contest unfolding in this key constituency.

The Haridwar Parliamentary constituency is poised to witness a showdown between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Congress’ Virender Rawat, son of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.

Comprising a total of 14 Assemblies, the Haridwar seat has historically been a BJP stronghold, with the party emerging victorious in both the 2019 and 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Uttarakhand, known for its close contests between the BJP and Congress, is pivotal for both parties to showcase their national narratives and gain supporters. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP’s Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ secured a resounding victory over Congress’ Ambrish Kumar with a significant margin of 2,58,729 votes, commanding 52.4% of the total vote share.

Similarly, in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank comfortably defeated Congress’ Renuka Rawat with a margin of 1,77,822 votes.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, confident in his party’s prospects, asserted, “We may not win 400 seats, as we have quoted, but will surely go up to 389, 399, or even 404 seats in the upcoming general elections.”

Adding intrigue to the electoral landscape, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) emerges as a significant player in Haridwar. This time, Jamil Ahmed has secured the BSP ticket to contest from the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat, following the defection of Bhavna Pandey, who had earlier been fielded by BSP but switched allegiance to BJP.

In Uttarakhand, BJP’s dominance has been evident, winning all Lok Sabha seats in both the 2014 and 2019 elections. In the 2022 assembly polls, BJP secured 47 out of 70 assembly seats, solidifying its position, while Congress managed 19 seats. BSP and Independents hold 2 seats each.

As the countdown to the elections begins, the stage is set for a fiercely contested battle in Haridwar and across the nation, as voters prepare to exercise their democratic right in shaping the country’s future.