With the filing of nomination papers by the BJP and Congress parties' candidates, they seem to be quite sanguine about their chances of winning their seats. Claiming that contesting candidates will comfortably win seats in their respective parliamentary constituencies, political parties have showed faith on sitting Members of Parliament or Members of legislative Assembly instead of fielding new faces in the ongoing parliamentary elections.
Congress and BJP are unwilling to take risks on newcomers as they trust the already established politicians or candidates having strong political back-up. Despite incessant bragging of internal democracy in their organisations and claims of wholeheartedly listening to the party workers and to woo young voters, no party, whether it's BJP or Congress, is ready to put their money on fresh faces. The ticket distribution mechanism of both the national parties is considerably different from what they try to portray by stating that young faces would be fielded in the election.
Besides, the issue of women contesting in the general elections has been discussed extensively by veterans during their public rallies, but shockingly, Congress and BJP have fielded only one woman candidate each out of five parliamentary constituencies in Uttarakhand.
Among all the contesting candidates from BJP and Congress in Uttarakhand, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna's son Saket Bahuguna is the youngest candidate (aged 40 years) among all the candidates contesting from Tehri parliamentary constituency whereas most experienced and oldest candidate former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj Gen (Retd) BC Khanduri is a septuagenarian candidate (79 years), who is contesting from Garhwal parliamentary seat against Rudraprayag MlA and Cabinet minister Dr Harak Singh Rawat who is quinquagenarian (54 years). Sitting MP from Tehri Mala Rajya laxmi Shah is a sexagenarian (64 years) and the second youngest candidate is sitting Someshwar MlA Ajay Tamta (41 years) who is trying his luck from Almora parliamentary constituency against sitting MP Pradeep Tamta, who is quinquagenarian (52 years). Among the three prominent candidates seen in direct contest in Haridwar parliamentary constituency, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (54) is the youngest candidate against Congress candidate Uttarakhand Chief Minister's wife Renuka Rawat who is two years older than him and Aam Aadmi Party candidate and former Uttarakhand Director General of Police Kanchan Chowdhury is sexagenarian (66 years).
The candidates contesting from Nainital parliamentary constituency are either sexagenarian or septuagenarian. BJP candidate Bhagat Singh Koshyari is 72-years old whereas his main rival sitting MP KC Singh 'Baba' is 65-years old. BJP State chief Tirath Singh Rawat said that candidates have been chosen considering their potential to win while the youth have also been given various responsibilities in the party.
Some political observers aver that in both the BJP and Congress, hardworking and disciplined party workers have been given a cold shoulder over already established names, which they believe augur well for the party in the forthcoming elections and even shrugged off clear instructions by the high command to give youth more chance while finalising names of candidates in the State.