Dehradun: BJP’s nominee Asha Nautiyal defeated the Congress candidate Manoj Rawat in the Kedarnath by-polls by a margin of 5623 votes. After facing defeat in the recent Manglaur and Badrinath by-polls, BJP’s victory in Kedarnath by-polls is politically significant in the hill state. On the contrary, the Congress party’s defeat in the Kedarnath by-poll may affect the morale of the party’s workers at the ground level.
The BJP has termed its victory as “a blow to negativity and a stamp on the BJP’s development model”. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the victory of BJP in Kedarnath by-polls clearly shows that voters have once again approved Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development model.
BJP blamed the Congress party for spreading negative politics
He also blamed the Congress party for spreading negative politics in the name of Kedarnath Yatra. The voters have clearly rejected the negative issues highlighted by the Congress during the election campaign of the Kedarnath by-polls.
The BJP also accused the Congress of playing the caste and regionalism cards in the by-polls. According to the BJP, the result shows that the BJP has successfully broken the “negative narrative” built by the Congress.
BJP sought votes in the name of PM Modi’s development model
BJP gave its total focus on Kedarnath by-polls and sought votes in the name Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development works, including reconstruction of the Kedarpuri. Besides, the BJP also selected a right candidate Asha Nautiyal who represented the Kedarnath seat thrice in the past.
A difficult task for the BJP to select a right candidate for Kedarnath by-poll
It was a difficult task for the party to select its candidate to field in the Kedarnath by-poll. The Kedarnath by-poll was necessitated due to the death of BJP’s MLA Shailarani Rawat. Shailarani’s daughter Aishwarya Rawat was also a strong contender for the BJP’s ticket. However, BJP made its choice in its old hand Asha Nautiyal.
Apart from highlighting the PM Narendra Modi’s frequent visits to Kedarnath since 2014, the BJP also deployed its several ministers and functionaries in the Kedarnath assembly seat to woo voters.
