With Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, the BJP’s candidate from the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar lok Sabha seat, full of self-confidence about his win, the electoral battle that remains mainly between the Congress and the BJP here is going to be an interesting in this prestigious lok Sabha seat this summer.
Though Koshiyari claimed that he has been given ticket on the recommendations of the party activists, he seems to have already done necessary homework, feeling the pulse of nerves of the voters of this lok Sabha seat.
“I know the ground realities. I will win this seat with record votes,” claimed Koshiyari as he kicked starting his poll campaign here on Thursday.
However, it would be worth to mention here that to dislodge the Congress party in its pocket borough Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar parliamentary constituency has always been an uphill task for its opponents i.e. mainly the BJP with caste based politics playing a crucial role here. This time, the challenge has already begun for the BJP in this seat with party candidate Bachi Singh Rawat, openly airing his disappointment over ignoring his candidature from this seat.
But the interesting fact is that Koshiyari talks of development in this heavily polarised society of the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar parliamentary constituency, when asked as to how he would convince the electorate of this constituency. Koshiyari, maintained that the issue of caste based politics had become irrelevant today.
“People need a change. There is a wave in favour of the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi,” he added.
With sizeable presence of Muslim voters in certain Assembly segments of this constituency including Haldwani, Rudrapur, Kashipur, Bazpur to name a few, the Congress has been able to better utilise the caste based politics in this seat, occupying this lok Sabha seat for maximum period, since 1951. However, the BJP has been able to register its victory in this seat only on two occasions in 1991 and 1998 and the Janta Party in 1977.
But Koshiyari maintains here that issues like caste and creed have now taken a back seat for us. People of this constituency and this country as a whole now definitely want a change with an efficient Government at the Centre which can deliver and meet their expectations. Today, only the BJP can provide that option to the people, Koshiyari further said.
Whether there are issues related to nation as a whole or area specific , this Congress led UPA Government has been badly failed to serve the people of this country. Be it the issue of national security or matter related to routine life, one can easily analyse on how this Congress-led UPA Government has failed on all these fronts.
The so-called inflation has touched an unprecedented height during this UPA regime, and so as the corruption.
Issue like unemployment and poverty are not less concerning even in this era when we claim to be one of the fast growing economy. But this Central Government has done nothing to address these concerns which are directly related to the public, he maintains.
In the same breath Koshiyari also raised the long pending issues of the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar lok Sabha constituency.
Raising the issue of the long pending Jamrani dam issue of Haldwani, he asked if Tehari dam can be built so why can’t we give concrete shape to the proposed Jamrani damIJ There is a solution to every problem and the BJP will prove it if voted to power, he added.
Meanwhile, on the issue of his long-time friend Bachi Singh Rawat’s disappointment over ignoring his candidature for this seat, Koshiyari maintained that it is natural to be disappointed for expectants when things do not fall according to their plans. It is initial reaction. But he hope Rawat would understand it, he added.