 "Uttarakhand Assembly Election 2016: A complete list of key candidates and constituencies")
The 2017 Uttarakhand Assembly election witnessed the presence of friends-turned-foes and entangled relationships in the fray in many constituencies. The polls were held on 15 February.
The hill state of Uttarakhand, which was largely in the news for last year’s constitutional crisis and ensuing President’s Rule that was subsequently quashed, will be a referendum on Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s popularity. The state is important for both Congress and BJP. While the former will hope to be the first party to buck the trend of anti-incumbency in Uttarakhand, BJP has poached several former Congress leaders and will bank on these personalities to mount a comeback.
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Here’s a list of the major candidates in the fray:
| ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCY | HEAVYWEIGHTS | DETAILS | LS CONSTITUENCY | DISTRICT | 2012 ASSEMBLY | 2014 LOK SABHA | REGION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaubattakhal | Satpal Maharaj (BJP) | Member of 15th Lok Sabha from INC; joined BJP in March 2014 | Garhwal | Garhwal | BJP | BJP | Garhwal |
| Kedarnath | Shailarani Rawat (BJP) | Congress MLA; joined BJP after Uttarakhand political crisis | Garhwal | Chamoli | INC | BJP | Garhwal |
| Ranikhet | Ajay Bhatt (BJP) | State BJP president and Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly | Almora | Almora | BJP | BJP | Kumaon |
| Sitarganj | Saurabh Bahuguna (BJP) | Son of Former Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna | Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar | Udham Singh Nagar | BJP | BJP | Maidan |
| Jageshwar | Govind Singh Kunjwal (INC) | Speaker of Uttarakhand Assembly | Almora | Almora | INC | INC | Kumaon |
| Sahaspur | Kishore Upadhyay (INC) | President of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee | Tehri Garhwal | Dehradun | BJP | BJP | Maidan |
| Bhagwanpur | Mamata Rakesh (INC) | She is fighting against her brother-in-law, BJP candidate Subodh Rakesh. Her late husband was an MLA, and died of cancer in April 2016. | Haridwar | Haridwar | BSP | INC | Maidan |
| Nainital | Sanjeev Arya (BJP) | He is the son of Yashpal Arya, a minister in the current Harish Rawat government. His son joined BJP in January 2017 | Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar | Nainital | INC | BJP | Kumaon |
| Haridwar (Rural) | Harish Rawat (INC) | He is the current chief minister | Haridwar | Haridwar | BJP | BJP | Maidan |
| Kiccha | Harish Rawat (INC) | He is the current chief minister | Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar | Udham Singh Nagar | BJP | BJP | Maidan |
| Kotdwar | Surender Singh Negi (INC) | Health minister in the government. In 2012, he defeated former CM BC Khanduri of BJP | Garhwal | Garhwal | INC | BJP | Garhwal |
| Raipur | Umesh Sharma Kau (BJP) | One the Congress MLAs who revolted against the party last year | Tehri Garhwal | Dehradun | INC | BJP | Maidan |
| Yamunotri | Kedar Singh (BJP) | The BJP has never won this seat and will try to wrest it this time on the strength of the former Congress state | Tehri Garhwal | Uttarkashi | UKD | BJP | Garhwal |
| Karn Prayag | Surender Singh Negi (INC) | He contested as an Independent candidate in 2012 and lost to Anusuya Maikhuri by only 227 votes. He’s contesting as BJP candidate this time. | Garhwal | Chamoli | INC | BJP | Garhwal |
| Dehradun Cantt | Suryakant Dhasmana (INC) | He was against the creation of the state | Tehri Garhwal | Dehradun | BJP | BJP | Maidan |
| Haridwar | Brahamswaroop Brahmachari (INC) | He is the head of Jai Ram Ashram | Haridwar | Haridwar | BJP | BJP | Maidan |
| Mussoorie | Ganesh Joshi (BJP) | He had been embroiled in a controversy after a video emerged of him hitting a police horse went viral last year. He’s been given a ticket again though many were against it. | Tehri Garhwal | Dehrarun | BJP | BJP | Garhwal |
| Rishikesh | Rajpal Singh Kharola (INC) | He is considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi, and is pinning his hopes on rebellion in the BJP ranks | Haridwar | Dehradun | BJP | BJP | Maidan |
| Roorkee | Pradeep Batra (BJP) | He is a Congress rebel and had defeated two-time BJP legislator Suresh Chand Jain in the last Assembly elections | Haridwar | Haridwar | INC | BJP | Maidan |
| Ramnagar | Ranjeet Rawat (INC) | He is regarded as Harish Rawat’s closest confidante | Garhwal | Nainital | INC | BJP | Maidan |
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