The 2022 are likely to be a triangular battle inUttarakhand.Congressand BJP are directly pitted on majority of the 70 seats while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is expected to throw a challenge in select urban pockets of the state like Dehradun.
While incumbent BJP is depending heavily on the ‘Modi mantra’ to form a government again, the party is also hoping that a youthful CM face in the form ofPushkar Singh Dhamiwould enable it to reach out to voters effectively and blunt anti-incumbency. Accordingly, the party’s poll tagline is that a young state like Uttarakhand, which turned 21 this year, needs a ‘young and energetic’ CM. At the same time, the party is also highlighting central projects like Kedarnath redevelopment, Char Dham all-weather road and Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project as indicators of the ‘double-engine’ development they have brought about, with the Centre and the state synergising with each other, something which they claim would not have happened if two separate parties were in power.