BJP stalwart and one of the prospective Chief Ministerial candidates of Uttarakhand Satpal Maharaj faces Chaubattakhal test for his maiden entry into the State Assembly with Congress candidate Rajpal Singh Bisht giving a tough fight to him. Moreover, BJP rebel Kavindra Ishtwal is also making things tough for him.

Before defecting to the BJP in March 2014, Maharaj was a prominent Rajput leader of the Congress party from Uttarakhand and was a Union Minister in the Congress Government in 1996-97.

In the Assembly elections of 2017, the BJP has not brought forward any face from Uttarakhand and refrained from fielding any Member of Parliament (MP) as party candidate from any Assembly segment. Three MPs — Major General BC Khanduri, Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank  — are also former Chief Ministers and perpetual contenders for top position in case the BJP is able to form Government in the State.

However, the party asked Maharaj to contest from Chaubattakhal, denying ticket to former State party chief and sitting MlA Tirath Singh Rawat. Political observers said by doing so the party has made it apparent that it sees in Maharaj a possible CM .

located in Garhwal hills, Chaubattakhal Assembly constituency consists of about 150 villages located between eastern and western Nayyar Rivers. The Congress has reposed its faith in Rajpal from here who had lost to Tirath Singh Rawat in the elections of 2012.

Rajpal is hammering home on the fact that Maharaj has defected from the Congress and that his past record in development is very poor.

His supporters are telling villagers that Maharaj would devote no time to the constituency if he gets elected. Rebel BJP leader Kavindra has refused to budge to the pressure of High Command to withdraw from the contest in favour of Maharaj and is expected to eat into to the votes of BJP.

Interestingly, Chaubattakhal is one of the few assembly constituencies of the State where the number of female voters outnumbers men due to which both these leaders are going all out to woo them. The area has a considerable population of the ex-servicemen and it is interesting to note that while the BJP leaders are telling the veterans that the Centre has given the benefit of OROP, the Congress is browbeating the BJP by claiming that the party has not delivered on OROP.