Despite certain other factors including a popular wish for a change, complex caste equations of the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar parliamentary seat and strong political rivalry in the Almora-Pithoragarh lok Sabha seat will play crucial role in deciding fate of candidates of different political parties in these two seats of the Kumaon division even in the general elections-2014.
With sizeable presence of Muslim voters in certain Assembly segments of this Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar parliamentary constituency including Haldwani, Rudrapur, Kashipur, Bazpur to name a few, the Congress Party has been able to better utilisie the caste based politics in this seat wining this lok Sabha seat for nine times out of elections held since 1951.
This time though there is a kind of disappointment among the people against the Congress-led UPA Government coupled with 'inaccessibility' of incumbent Congress' KC Singh Baba as the people here allege, the Congress men here are still hoping that it would be able to retain this Nainital- Udham Singh Nagar lok Sabha seat.
Reaction of the voters from the Muslim dominated areas only comes as affirmation to the belief of the Congress men here. However, the BJP has been able to register its victory in this seat on only on two occasions in 1991 and 1998 and the Janta Party in 1977.
Riding on Modi wave, BJP's Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, says “today the people need development. They 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. So I am full of confidence that people of this constituency would definitely extend their support to the BJP,” added Koshiyari.
But voters from Muslim community here seem to differ with the BJP leaders as far as voting is concerned. Development is a welcome step. But we have been traditionally voting for the Congress party, said, a voter in Haldwani's Banbhulpura area after casting his vote. Similar response was received from voters particularly in muslim dominated areas of the Haldwani Assembly constituency.
Although some regional parties like the SP and BSP have also fielded their candidates from the Nainital- Udham Singh Nagar Assembly constituency, yet a majority of the voters from the muslim community were supporting the Congress party as they have claimed.
However, the BJP is eying on sizeable presence of voters from other weaker sections of the society. The BJP leaders here are of the view that since the BSP and the SP are not so strong in this Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat, therefore, they, the voters from the society, may vote for the BJP.
In the meantime, in spite of a lot of challenges that before the Almora- Pithoragarh parliamentary constituency has due to natural calamities and its tough geographical character, the voters of this constituency play their electoral cards quite cleverly in every big elections.
The main electoral battle in this Almora- Pithoragarh seat has been between the Congress Party and the BJP and a kind of personality clash electoral battle has always dominated the local politics here in this seat.
The Congress Party and the BJP brought political rivalry to the surface in this lok Sabha seat this time too by fielding their respective candidates incumbent Pradeep Tamta and Ajay Tamta, who was also party candidate in the 2009 general elections from the same lok Sabha seat.
The political rivalry between these two leaders is not new. It all began with 2002 Uttarakhand Assembly elections when Pradeep Tamta won the Someshwar assembly constituency defeating BJP's Ajay Tamta. But Ajay Tamta bagged the Someshwar Assembly seat in assembly polls -2007, defeating Pradeep Tamta.
The political rivalry between the two only became wide and open in the parliamentary elections of 2009 when Congress' Pradeep Tamta managed to register victory in the Almora -Pithoragah parliamentary seat. So all eyes are on whether BJP Ajay Tamta could snatch the said seat from the Congress this time or not.