Relief and rebuilding exercise which is yet to take off in snow-fed upper Himalayan segments of Almora-Pithoragarh parliamentary constituency’s Pithoragarh region and in many other disaster-affected areas of Uttarakhand, is now waiting to get the snow melted away in the dust and heat of election campaign in the soaring summer ahead.
But fear among the political leaders still is that poor pace of developmental works in these pockets of the disaster-affected areas, may scuttle rising of their poll prospects in the election time ahead.
More so, with atmospheric conditions remaining comparatively moderate this summer as compared to that of previous years even in Terai-bhawar region of the mountain State, delay in melting of snow coupled with poor road connectivity, has so far only denied access to these leaders who at least wish to reach out to the voters in these disaster-affected areas.
Though Pithoragarh district administration has emphasised on the to do necessary homework to start the relief and rehabilitation works in these snow-covered areas of the border district, the main concern is that as the officials concerned of the Pithorgarh district administration have maintained, in case snow melting process gets slower in due course of time, it may affect the relief works.
Therefore, as the general elections process has already been rolled on, the leaders of different political parties do not want to miss any segment of this border constituency of the Almora-Pithoragarh constituency where the main electoral battle is to be contested between the Congress and the BJP.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat has already visited Dharchula and Madkot areas of Pithoragarh twice during the past two months.
But, as the people here say, Chief Minister Rawat’s aerial visit may not be enough to be aware of hard realities of life on the ground.
Now the ruling Congress insiders have hesitatingly admitted that there has been unexpected delay in extending a helping hand to the needy in disaster-affected areas in the border district.
It may be recalled that in the Almora-Pithoragarh lok Sabha seat which was accorded reserved category status in 2009 lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Ajay Tamta, lost this seat with a thin margin to the Congress’ Pradeep Tamta in previous lok Sabha elections.
At the backdrop of the 2009 popular verdict, whereas the BJP seems to be keen to improve its electoral show in the upcoming general elections and the anti-incumbency factor has only encouraged it about its win this time, the incumbent Congress Party is equally confident to retain its seat as the Almora Pithogarah parliamentary constituency has also been a Congress favourite seat as it has managed to win this seat eight times out of 14 lok Sabha polls held since 1957.
However, the political equations will not be same for the ruling
Congress Party this time in this seat. Apart from basic service issues like long-pending drinking water crisis, delay in carrying out relief and rehabilitation works in natural calamity affected areas are some of the issues which can dominate the general elections ahead in the aforesaid lok Sabha seat.
However, amid these burning issues of larger public interest, it is to be seen how the Congress party is going to convince the electorate in the upcoming lok Sabha polls.