In Uttarakhand assembly elections, the BJP has shown confidence in its two-time legislator and state women president Asha Nautiyal but the Congress has once again nominated comparative younger face, Manoj Rawat, who defied all arithmetics winning Kedarnath as a first timer in 2017 state polls.

This seat from district Rudraprayag recently fell vacant due to the sudden demise of the incumbent, MLA Shaila Rani Rawat, on 9 July.

Kedarnath bypoll has become a prestigious battle for the BJP, especially after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, though a ruling party candidate, lost Badrinath and Manglaur assembly seats early this year.

Asha Nautiyal, a two-time MLA — in 2002 and 2007– and wife of a local journalist Ramesh Nautiyal, will try her luck again after 2012 as a BJP candidate. Nautiyal was the first MLA from Kedarnath in 2002 after Uttarakhand was formed in November 2000. She won again in 2007 but lost to late BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat, who contested as Congress candidate in 2012.

In 2017 assembly elections, Nautiyal defected from the BJP and contested as independent but lost while Manoj Rawat, a journalist and first time contestant, won the seat for the Congress.

Manoj Rawat, however lost the 2022 assembly polls to Shaila Rani Rawat who left the Congress to join the BJP in 2016 along with former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and eight other MLAs in an attempt to dislodge the Harish Rawat government.

Now, the Congress has nominated Manoj for the third time in a row in the last seven years.

Interestingly Asha Nautiyal, a BJP veteran, has more than 30 years of political career behind her. She first acquired political responsibility, winning as Rudraprayag district panchayat member in 1996. Thereafter, Nautiyal was elected as district panchayat vice-president in 1997-1998.

Manoj Rawat on the other hand, hardly has 8-9 years of political career behind him. He won his first assembly poll in 2017.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said the BJP will register a massive win in the Kedarnath bypoll as voters are happy with the double engine government in the state. “We will win the Kedarnath bypoll easily and regain our seat. Kedarnath is a BJP seat won by late MLA Shaila Rani Rawat. It fell vacant inviting byelection as our MLA passed away in August 2024. The BJP is certain to retain the seat as people in the region have appreciated our reconstruction works in the disaster-hit areas in Kedarnath “, said Dhami.

Kedarnath byelection has become a prestigious fight for the BJP, especially after Chief Minister Dhami as the BJP candidate failed to win either of the two seats — Badrinath in Chamoli and Manglaur byelection in Haridwar held in August this year.

BJP’s Badrinath loss was a big jolt for the party’s central leadership as it was depicted as the second big defeat of the ruling party in its claimed bastion after Ayodhya Lok Sabha seat.

Kedarnath bypoll is now billed as the third big fight for the BJP as it’s a place close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s heart. Modi is personally monitoring the ongoing reconstruction works in the Kedarnath shrine area.

Voting for Kedarnath byelection will be held on November 20 with the second phase of assembly polls in Jharkhand and single phase of Maharashtra.
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