Election frenzy in the hill state

The state has been going through a series of political developments and a number of elections over the past few weeks...

The state has been going through a series of political developments and a number of elections over the past few weeks and this is expected to continue till the Lok Sabha elections. Every political party is trying to extract the maximum out of it and every politician, big or small, is trying to enhance his clout among the voters.

To begin with, the state is going through elections to cooperative bodies that will continue till next month. Though these elections are low-key affairs and hardly make any news at the regional or the local level, yet politicians of the two major parties — the BJP and the Congress — are making claims and counter-claims, allegations and counter-allegations.

Besides, it is also time for the students’ union elections in various colleges and universities in the state. And even here, it is the student wings of the two main parties — the ABVP and the NSUI — that have locked horns. With their potential cadres in the fray, senior leaders cannot afford to ignore these polls.

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Above all, the state is readying itself for the all-important panchayat polls in 12 districts, scheduled to be held in September. The polls are of great significance, as from now on women will dominate governance at the panchayat level. “This time women will definitely have more than 60 per cent representation in panchayats across the state. With 50 per cent seats already reserved, many women are also filing their nominations for seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. Then there are some who have won two terms on an open seat and are filing their nominations for the third successive time,” said social activist Avdesh Kaushal.

Uttarakhand has 7,541 panchayats from where 58,143 representatives are to be elected. Of these, more than 30,000 representatives are expected to be women. The panchayat polls are being seen as a prelude to the Lok Sabha polls and hence, both the BJP and the Congress are keenly interested in the ensuing battle.

Besides these polls, the state is also witnessing internal politics within the parties. As for the BJP, dissidence within the party has raised its head at the most crucial hour. With 22 of the total 36 legislators seeking the removal of Chief Minister B C Khanduri, the party appears to be in the doldrums. “It is obvious that infighting has had a damaging impact on the party cadres working in far-flung areas of the state. The central leadership wants us to win all the five Lok Sabha seats next year. This is not possible if the party stands divided. Right now, there are several poles within the BJP and the party workers and cadres are confused about what is happening,” says a BJP leader. Although signals from the central leadership of the party indicate there are few chances of Khanduri being replaced immediately, yet confusion prevails.

The Congress stands a divided house as usual, with party leaders engaged in a battle to present themselves as potential candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. These leaders believe that the person who leads a successful Lok Sabha campaign and wins with a thumping majority, will be one of the prime candidates for the post of chief minister in 2012. And through the panchayat polls, they are trying to demonstrate their political capabilities before the party high command.