Lok Sabha Election 2019, Uttarakhand profile: Garhwal, Almora among key seats; Congress hopes to regain past glory

The state of Uttarakhand came into being in the year 2000. Separated from Uttar Pradesh, it became the 22nd state of India. The state currently has five parliamentary constituencies and 70 Assembly constituencies. The state is primarily divided into two regions – Kumaon and Garhwal. According to the 2011 census, Uttarakhand has a population of 69,97,433, with 66.75 percent of its population residing in rural areas. Currently, all five parliamentary seats are held by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which also enjoys a majority in the state. In 2017 state elections, BJP won 57 out of 70 seats. The Congress, which won 11 seats, is the opposition in the state. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections had been catastrophic for the grand old party which had held all five parliamentary seats before that. In the 2009 election, Congress won all five seats. Historically, for Uttarakhand, parties that hold a majority in the state elections, lose the Lok Sabha elections. Both BJP and Congress have planned star campaigns in the state to rally up votes. While Congress chief Rahul Gandhi recently addressed a rally in Dehradun, star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi is expected to hold rallies in both Kumaon and Garhwal regions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has planned a rally to campaign in Rudrapur in March. Meanwhile, the state’s only prominent regional party, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), has said that it will contest all five seats. Once popular for being at the forefront of the Uttarakhand movement, the UKD failed to get any seats in the state elections held two years ago. 1. Almora Lok Sabha Constituency Constituency number: 3 Total electors: 12,30,402 (2014 estimates) Female electors: 6,06,387 Male electors: 6,23,998 Reserved: Yes. For Scheduled Castes Delimited: Yes. In 2008, Kanda, Bhikiasain and Kanalichhina assembly segments were dissolved. Assembly Constituencies: Dharchula, Didihat, Pithoragarh, Gangolihat, Kapkote, Bageshwar, Dwarahat, Salt, Ranikhet, Someshwar (SC), Almora, Jageshwar, Lohaghat, Champawat Results in last four elections: In 1999, when Almora was a constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Bachi Singh Rawat from BJP won the election. Rawat won again in 2004 in the first election after Almora became a part of newly-formed Uttarakhand. In 2009, Congress candidate Pradeep Tamta was elected MP. He lost to BJP candidate Ajay Tamta in the 2014 elections. Demographics: According to census 2011, the population of Almora is 6,22,506 and 24.26 percent of them belong to Scheduled Castes. The constituency is spread over four districts—Almora, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat. Senior BJP candidate Murli Manohar Joshi hails from this constituency. 2. Garhwal Lok Sabha Constituency Constituency number: 2  Total electors: 12,30,262 (2014 estimates) Female electors: 6,04,984 Male electors: 6,25,278 Reserved: No Delimited: Yes. In 2008, the constituency’s limits were changed. While 10 of the older Assembly segments were dissolved, four were added including Rudraprayag from Tehri Garhwal. Assembly Constituencies: Badrinath, Tharali, Karnprayag, Kedarnath, Rudraprayag, Deoprayag, Narendranagar, Yamkeshwar, Pauri, Srinagar, Chaubattakhal, Lansdowne, Kotdwar, Ramnagar Results in last four elections: In 1999, as part of Uttar Pradesh, this constituency was represented by MP Major General Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri from the BJP. He was re-elected in the 2004 elections. In 2009, Satpal Maharaj from Congress won a majority. In 2014, Khanduri won with a margin of over 1.84 lakh votes. Demographics: The constituency, also called Pauri Garhwal, is considered dominated Brahmin voters. In fact, local caste balance has ensured that this constituency is mostly fought by a Brahmin candidate. Brahmins form at least one-fourth of the state’s population. However, this time the BJP has given the ticket to TS Rawat, a Thakur. 3. Hardwar Lok Sabha Constituency  Constituency number: 5 Total electors: 16,37,583 (2014 estimates) [caption id=“attachment_6302301” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Hardwar constituency is spread over Dehradun and Haridwar districts of Uttarakhand. Image courtesy Shankeymartin/Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Female electors: 7,52,750 Male electors: 8,84,793 Reserved: No Delimited: Yes. Until 2008, Hardwar constituency was reserved for Scheduled Castes. In 2008 it became a general category constituency and its limits were redefined. Doiwala from Garhwal was newly included, among eight new assembly constituencies. Iqbalpurpur, Landhaura, Bahadrabad and Laldhang Assembly constituencies were excluded. Assembly Constituencies: Dharampur, Doiwala, Rishikesh, Hardwar, BHEL Ranipur, Jwalapur, Bhagwanpur, Jhabrera, Pirankaliyar, Roorkee, Khanpur, Manglore, Laksar, Hardwar Rural Results in last four elections: When it was a part of Uttar Pradesh in 1999, the constituency had elected BJP candidate Harpal Singh Sathi. In 2004, Samajwadi Party candidate Rajendra Kumar won the election. Congress candidate Harish Rawat won the election in 2009. The BJP resumed power in the constituency in 2014 elections when Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank won a majority. Demographics: This constituency is spread over Dehradun and Hardwar districts of Uttarakhand. A total of 15.7 percent of Hardwar’s population is Muslim and 11.9 percent of those living in Dehradun are Muslims. Former chief minister Harish Rawat had been elected MP from this constituency, considered one of the most important pilgrim sites in the country. 4. Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar Lok Sabha Constituency  Constituency number: 4 Total electors: 16,02,114 (2014 estimates) Female electors: 7,50,619 Male electors: 8,51,495 Reserved: No Delimited: Yes. In 2008, the constituency was restructured to include Lalkuwa, Bhimtal and Kaladhungi, Gadarpur Assembly constituencies. Assembly Constituencies: Lalkuwa, Bhimtal, Nainital, Haldwani, Kaladhungi, Jaspur, Kashipur, Bajpur, Gadarpur, Rudrapur, Kichha, Sitarganj, Nanak Matta, Khatima Results in last four elections: In 1999, Congress candidate Narayan Datt Tiwari won the election when Nainital was a part of Uttar Pradesh. In 2004, as part of Uttaranchal, the constituency voted Congress candidate KC Singh Baba as MP. He won again in 2009 elections when the state had been renamed Uttarakhand. People voted Bhagat Singh Koshiyari from BJP in 2014 elections. Demographics: The constituency is spread over the hills of Bhimtal and the plains of Rudrapur. The constituency limits share a border with neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. The mountainous regions are dependent on tourism and agriculture for their economy. While this constituency has traditionally been a Congress stronghold, in 2014, people voted for BJP.  5. Tehri-Garhwal Lok Sabha Constituency  Constituency number: 1 Total electors: 14,23,729 (2014 estimates) Female electors: 6,93,610 Male electors: 7,29,701 Reserved: No Delimited: Yes. The constituency limits were changed according to the Delimitations of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies order, 2008. Deoprayag, Narendranagar, Laxman Chowk, Rishikesh and Rudraprayag constituencies were removed. Assembly Constituencies: Purola, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Ghansali, Pratapnagar, Tehri, Dhanolti, Chakrata, Vikasnagar, Sahaspur, Raipur, Rajpur Road, Dehradun Cantt., Mussoorie Results in last four elections: Manabendra Shah from BJP won the elections in 1999 when Tehri Garhwal was a part of Uttar Pradesh. He was elected again in 2004. Congress candidate Vijay Bahuguna was elected MP in 2009. BJP’s Bhagat Singh Koshyari won the elections in 2014 by a margin of over 2.84 lakh votes. Demographics: Tehri-Garhwal is considered a Thakur seat in Uttarakhand’s local politics. Thakurs constitute nearly 35 percent of the electorate in the state. As per the local caste dynamics, this seat is often fought by a Thakur candidate.