Modi's 'Double Engine' Govt defeats anti-incumbency factor in Uttarakhand

With the thumping two-thirds majority, the BJP has defeated the anti-incumbency factor, which has not let any government retain power in Uttarakhand since the year 2000—the year when the state was formed.

However, their Chief Ministerial (CM) candidate Pushkar Singh Dhami has lost the Khatima assembly seat by over 6000 votes. Not only Dhami, even Harish Singh Rawat - the former INC CM of Uttarakhand, has lost to Mohan Singh Bisht of the BJP by a margin of over 14,000 votes.

This is a huge setback for Congress, which was hoping to form the government in Uttarakhand. Most of the exit polls predicted a neck-to-neck contest between the two parties, with some even calling for a hung assembly. The setback becomes even bigger considering the fact that Congress has not been able to form the government in any of the five states which went to the polls recently.

Why BJP Won?

In the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP polled an unprecedented 46 percent of the votes. Five years later, they have managed to retain most of their votes, making it clear that the Narendra Modi wave is still very much alive—which is something I also witnessed in my travels across the state over the past two months.

When the election campaign of the BJP started, they were still struggling to find their CM face, forcing them to fight the elections on Modi's face.

Apart from the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP's promotion of religious tourism in the state struck a chord with the voters. From building an all-weather road for the Char Dham Yatra, to providing subsidies to the local people to open guest houses, the steps taken by the BJP government had a positive impact on the overall economy of the people of the state, especially those who lived on hilly terrain.

Further, the availability of electricity for more than 20 hours in most of the hilly areas and improved mobile connectivity over the past few years also helped the BJP.

Another important factor that worked in BJP's favour is the rise of Hindu Nationalism across the country, and more so in North India. Since the Hindu population in Uttarakhand is nearly 82 percent, it has grown closer to the BJP than any other political party.

This also becomes clear from the fact that despite an astounding 27 percent unemployment rate among the youth of the state, the youngsters still voted for BJP as they had faith in the promises made by them.

While talking to the media, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said, "We already knew that we will form the government as PM Modi fulfilled all the promises he made to the people of Uttrakhand and CM Pushkar Singh Dhami too resolved issues of the people in last six months."

Why Congress Lost?

A major reason behind the defeat of Congress is the infighting that it had to deal with just a few weeks before the polling day. The situation became so intense that on December 22, 2021 Mr. Rawat came out in the open regarding his differences with the central leadership of the party.

He tweeted: "The representatives of those on whose orders I have to swim are tying my hands and feet". Although the central leadership later stepped in and resolved the issue, but by then the damage had already been done.

Further, the Congress regularly targeted BJP over their lack of CM face and came up with the slogan 'Teen Tigada, Kaam Bigada, Uttarakhand Main Nahi Aayegi BJP Dobara' (BJP messed up by changing three chief ministers, it won't come to power again) - a jibe on BJP changing three CMs in the last five years.

However, they clearly underestimated Modi's unflinching popularity and could only manage 18 seats in the state. It is high time that Congress changes its strategy and comes up with fresh ways to woo the voters.

The way BJP was able to influence voters on issues like nationalism, national security, and army welfare is something that Congress couldn't replicate. With Congress losing the elections in all the five states, it is going to further weaken the party.

Not only this, it is going to embolden regional parties like the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party to challenge Congress as the primary national opposition to the BJP. Will the Gandhis finally wake up, or is it time for the likes of Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee to take on Narendra Modi in 2024? Only time will tell.