Khatima Test

During filing of his nomination papers from his Khatima assembly constituency the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was a picture of poise and exuberated complete confidence about retaining his seat for the third consecutive time. Dhami has nurtured his constituency well after getting elected for the first time in the year 2012 and ever since his surprise elevation as the CM, he has been particularly benevolent towards the area. In such a situation he should expect a smooth ride this time but deep inside he also knows that the electorate of Uttarakhand has been particularly harsh on the CMs. In  2012 when the BJP was contesting election on ‘Khanduri Hai Jaruri’ slogan, the people of Kotdwar sent the former Army General and CM packing. Khanduri not only lost the election but the BJP too missed the chance to form the government by a whisker. Similarly in 2017, it was double whammy for the then CM Harish Rawat as he lost from both the seats he contested. In fact this defiant mood of the electorate was witnessed in the first election itself in 2002 when first CM Nityanand Swami lost from the Laxman Chowk assembly seat.

The experts are forecasting a tough competition for Dhami from Khatima as the Congress has fielded its executive president of state unit Bhuwan Kapdi. The former state president of AAP, S S Kaler too is trying hard to make the contest triangular and tough for Dhami.

Parents’ Pride?

The election time is the crucial phase which infuses a great sense of commitment to society, responsibility towards the state and nation in the politicians who when denied ticket listen to their inner voice and shift their political affiliations and their much professed ideologies without batting an eyelid. It is not only the politicians who get enlightened during the election time but the period also witnesses a surge in filial affection among the government employees. This sense of serving their parents becomes overbearing when these employees receive the order for the election duties.

 The plethora of requests received by the returning officers requesting cancellation of their election duties suggests that the very soul of legendary character of Ramayana, Shravan Kumar who fulfilled the desire of pilgrimage of his visually impaired parents by carrying them on his shoulders has suddenly entered into the election bound employees. Apart from this the physical and mental exertion of the election duty also makes many government servants indisposed.

Brash Boys

An audio clip in which the Rudrapur MLA Rajkumar Thukral is heard purportedly saying nasty things about the state president of the saffron party and a cabinet minister proved costly for the loudmouthed MLA as the party decided to deny ticket to him. As expected the shocked MLA has decided to revolt and contest as an independent.  Similarly, saying more than what he can chew is said to be one of the reasons the BJP denied ticket to the sitting MLA Deshraj Karnwal from Jhabrera assembly constituency. However in Khanpur the electoral compulsion weighed heavy as from here the BJP was forced to nominate the wife of Pranav Singh Champion who has attained notoriety for his utterances. Even as the BJP did muster some courage to punish its brash boys, the Congress leadership is maintaining a silence over an audio in which a young leader is using choicest of abuses for the tallest leader of the party in the state.