The recent by-elections for two Uttarakhand Assembly seats have been perceived as a significant setback for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state. The BJP has lost both the Manglaur seat in Haridwar and the Badrinath seat in Chamoli to the Congress. While the BJP has described its performance in Manglaur as satisfactory, it has acknowledged the need to review the defeat in Badrinath.
Social media reactions have drawn parallels between these losses and the party's previous defeat in Ayodhya, with the opposition suggesting that "God" has abandoned the BJP.
Congress has said that "First Lord Ram punished BJP in Ayodhya, then Narayan in Badrinath and now it is Baba Kedar's turn." (By-elections in Kedarnath will be held after the death of Kedarnath MLA Shaila Rani Rawat on 9 July).
Internal dissatisfaction within the BJP has also surfaced, with senior party leaders attributing the defeat to poor candidate selection. During a meeting of the extended state working committee in Dehradun, former Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat criticized the candidate selection process.
Rawat also said that the party workers are not getting full respect in the state. Wisdom will have to be shown in the selection of candidates in the by-election to be held in Kedarnath.
Rawat said that the candidate will have to be selected after consulting everyone, he should not be imposed.
In these recent by-elections, the BJP had fielded candidates perceived as 'outsiders,' in contrast to the Congress, which relied on its established local leaders in both Mangalore and Badrinath.
BJP's development agenda has alienated local residents
Political analysts suggest that the BJP's development agenda has alienated local residents by prioritizing outsiders over local interests. This sentiment was echoed by former Kedarnath MLA Shaila Rani Rawat, who recently met Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to protest the allocation of shops in Kedarnath to non-locals.
Experts believe that in the name of development, the rights of the local people are being taken away and now BJP leaders have also started understanding this.
Former Kedarnath MLA Shaila Rani Rawat (who passed away on July 9) had met Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and objected to the allotment of shops to outsiders instead of local people in Kedarnath.
The same is happening in Badrinath as well. Shops and business establishments are being taken over by wealthy outsiders and there is no space left for people selling local goods on the roadside.
The story is the same from Ayodhya to Badrinath
Experts say the story is the same from Ayodhya to Badrinath. The land and rights of the local residents have been snatched and given to outside businessmen who are then making money from it and the local people feel cheated and if the situation does not improve, the party may lose the Kedarnath seat too.
The date of the Kedarnath by-election has not been announced but due to the demise of Shaili Rani Rawat, elections are going to be held here soon too.
The BJP's approach to candidate selection and local issues will be crucial in determining its success in this key electoral contest.