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As the five seats of Uttarakhand will go to polls during the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 19, the BJP is looking forward to continuing its winning spree in the Garhwal constituency.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a strong presence in Uttarakhand and the party had won all five seats in the hill state in both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Garhwal constituency is currently being held by the senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat. However, the BJP has fielded Anil Baluni from the constituency. He is a national spokesperson of the BJP and has served as the Rajya Sabha MP from the state. The Congress, on the other hand, has fielded Ganesh Godiyal from the seat. He was appointed state party chief in 2021. He had earlier served as the MLA from the Srinagar constituency. While the BJP would be aiming to repeat its 2019 performance and sweep the state, the Congress would look to improve its tally and make a dent into the BJP's stronghold. Notably, the BJP is also in power in the state assembly in Uttarakhand since 2017. Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, during a public meeting, said that there should be no "hooliganism" in the state. "We have implemented Anti-Cheating Law...Many such things have been done... We have also imposed an Anti-Riot Law in Uttarakhand," he said. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a public meeting in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh and said that the BJP government is creating new job opportunities by supporting tourism in Uttarakhand. "Our focus is on Uttarakhand's connectivity with the rest of India. We are continuously increasing rail, road, and air connectivity in Uttarakhand. Work is underway on the Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line. The distance between Delhi and Dehradun is also reducing," he said. "Border villages, which were called 'last villages' under Congress, are now being developed under the BJP government. Air services have started for Adi Kailash and Om Parvat. A 900-kilometre-long highway is also being built to connect Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath," PM Modi added. On the other hand, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a scathing attack on the BJP on Saturday. She asked the ruling government how long it would keep blaming the Congress, which has been out of power for the last decade. Addressing a public rally at Ramnagar in Uttarakhand's Nainital, Priyanka Gandhi said, "For how long will you (the BJP) keep blaming Congress? Congress has not been in power for the last 10 years. For the last 10 years, they (the BJP) have been in government with a full majority; now that they say '400 paar', they want more majority. They say nothing has been done in 75 years." Notably, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, Bill 2024, seeks to "govern and regulate the laws related to marriage and divorce, successions, live-in relationships, and matters related thereto," was passed in the Assembly in February this year following a two-day discussion. The 2024 general elections will be held in India in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1, to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on June 4. (ANI)
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