While the BJP had secured a second term in power in Uttarakhand, Pushkar Dhami had lost his seat of Khatima, which he had won twice since 2012, to Congress’ Bhuvan Chandra Kapri.
Akansha Saini, Dehradun: On Tuesday, voting for vital by-elections in Uttarakhand’s Champawat legislative assembly began. By-elections were forced after Champawat MLA and BJP leader Kailash Gehtori resigned from his position to allow Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to be elected to the state legislature’s 70-member body.
Dhami had lost his seat of Khatima, which he had won twice since 2012, to Congress politician Bhuvan Chandra Kapri by roughly 6,900 votes, while the BJP had retained power in Uttarakhand for a second consecutive term.
Despite losing to Kapri, Dhami was appointed Chief Minister of the state, and Gehtori resigned last month to assist the BJP leader in his election to the state legislature. In Champawat, Dhami is now facing off against Congress’ Nirmala Gehtori.
Meanwhile, Manoj Kumar Bhatt of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Independent Himanshu Gadkoti are among the other contenders in the race. In the by-elections, a total of 96,213 voters will cast their ballots.
Akansha Saini
Bureau Head, Dehradun
akansha.saini@bombaytribune.com
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