After submitting his nomination papers at the Collectorate around noon for the Haridwar Rural seat on Friday, the Chief Minister Harish Rawat gave a full-throated battle cry against the defectors, now in the poll fray as BJP candidates, while addressing well-attended road shows. “We would leave no stone unturned to teach bitter electoral lessons to those who sold their soul out of sheer vindictiveness,” he said. “If the Congress turncoats win the Uttarakhand would lose,” he thundered.
Congress staged the road show that started from BHEl crossing near Chinmaya Degree College.
Earlier, Rawat offered prayers at Daksh temple in Kankhal and asked the media persons to stay off lest he be caught defying the model code of conduct. “I am aware of the norm that mosques, churches, temples or other places of worship should not be used as forums for election propaganda,” CM said.
At Har Ki Pauri, his supporters looked exuberant, donning Harish Rawat masks to cheer their leader. A large two- wheeler procession passed through the narrow streets of Moti Bazar to Shivmurti turning and culminated through a road show at Pentagon mall in SIDCUl.
This Haridwar rural seat with 1.20 lakh voters is all set to throw one of the most exciting contests of this election with Dalit-Muslim-Gurjar equations being set to tilt the scale in favour of one of the contenders.
Observers say that it would prove to be a nail-biting contest with the going not being a cake walk for the CM. Aside from BJP being well-established entity with roots going deep, there is also BSP to reckon with endowed with considerable sway over the decisive Dalit –Muslim combine. BSP had won twice in 2002 and 2007 Assembly elections prior to the 2008 delimitation as a result of which Haridwar rural came into existence. BJP won the seat comfortably during the 2012 election.
Rawat again harped on the ‘BJP-triggered’ attempt to topple his democratically elected government in a clear bid to evoke a sympathy wave for him.
“Now, the reins of things are in the people’s hands. If I am elected I would frame an infrastructural plan for the city of Haridwar,” he said.
Referring to the Modi wave sweeping during the 2014 election, he said his party had withstood it in many important Assembly segments of the state. “I am sure my party would register easy wins in all the 11 seats in the Haridwar district,” he said.