In a major setback for BJP, Congress Candidates Lakhpat Singh Butola and Qazi Nizamuddin won the Badrinath and Manglaur Assembly seats respectively, as announced on Saturday. BJP was already reeling from the loss in Ayodhya, which sent shockwaves through the party.
This defeat is especially crushing for BJP, as the party had tried to garner the Hindu majority with the development of Ram temple in Ayodhya. However, the efforts seemed to have been in vain as BJP lost the Ayodhya parliament. The similar outcome in Badrinath has raised questions about whether the BJP government is failing to win over local voters despite its efforts to develop religious sites.
Badrinath, part of the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit and a site of various mythological importance, has proven to be a major concern for the BJP despite ongoing development projects in the area. It is reported that the central government’s master plan for the Char Dham has generated considerable dissatisfaction among locals. A few months ago, there was significant protest in Badrinath from priests and local residents, including the Panda community, who argued that the VIP darshan facilities were causing considerable inconvenience to ordinary devotees. They demanded that the temple provide entry facilities similar to those available in the past.
Badrinath assembly constituency is a part of Garhwal Lok Sabha seat which accommodates 14 seats. In the 2022 assembly poll, Congress could win only Badrinath assembly seat while BJP emerged victorious in 13 assembly seats of the Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency.
First-time contender Butola received 27,696 votes in Badrinath, 5,095 more than BJP candidate Rajendra Singh Bhandari. Bhandari, a former state minister and three-term MLA, earned 22,601 votes. The seat became vacant after Bhandari joined the BJP and left Congress.
54,228 votes were cast in the byepolls on July 10. Of those, 28,161 were cast for the Congress and 22,937 for the BJP. Compared to the 2022 assembly elections, Bhandari received 10,000 less votes this time around.
In Manglaur by-poll, the victory of Congress party’s nominee Quazi Mohammad Nizamuddin is also a good sign for the party. “It may help Congress increase its popularity among Muslim voters who have considerable presence in Haridwar LS seat of which Manglaur is a part,” a source in Congress said. Manglaur is always considered as a tough seat for the BJP. However, BJP nominee Kartar Singh Bhadana was defeated by Congress nominee Nizamuddin by a slender margin of only 422 votes. Nizamuddin got 31,727 votes and Bhadana 31,305 votes.
The BJP’s next major test may be in Kedarnath. Following the recent death of BJP MLA Sheila Rani, a by-election is expected soon. The dissatisfaction among locals at sacred sites like Ayodhya and Badrinath has put pressure on the party leadership.