New Delhi: In a run-up to the assembly elections in Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will start campaigning virtually in the state from Friday. Modi will address more than 1 lakh workers virtually in four districts of Uttarakhand including Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, and Pithoragarh.
More than 81 lakh voters of the state will decide the fate of 632 candidates when it goes to the polls on February 14. Upon withdrawal of 95 candidates on the last day for withdrawal of nominations on Monday there are a total of 632 left in the fray, according to the Election Commission update.
Last week, home minister Amit Shah organised a door-to-door campaign in Rudraprayag. The two major political parties comprising of the BJP and the Congress in some seats managed to dissuade rebel candidates entering the fray as independents.
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The BJP for example partially succeeded in convincing rebels in Doiwala, Ghansali, Piran Kaliyar, and Kaladhungi seats after the intervention of Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni and former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, according to PTI report.
However, the rebel candidates in nearly a dozen seats refused to withdraw from the contest as independents including Mahavir Singh Rangad from Dhanolti, Rajkumar Thukral from Rudrapur, Tika Prasad Maikhuri from Karnaprayag, Vir Singh Panwar from Dharampur, Dhirendra Singh Chauhan from Kotdwar, Dinesh Rawat from Dehradun Cantt, Manoj Shah from Bhimtal, Darshan Lal Arya from Ghansali, Manoj Koli from Yamunotri, Kamlesh Bhatt from Chakrata, Ajay Tiwari from Kichcha
While Congress dissuaded rebel candidates from contesting in Rishikesh and Sahaspur in some seats but continues to face a challenge from them in half a dozen seats including Lalkuan from where Harish Rawat is contesting, and Yamunotri, Ramnagar, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar, and Ghansali.