DEHRADUN: In a decisive victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has retained its hold on the prestigious Kedarnath assembly seat in Uttarakhand. The party’s candidate emerged victorious in the by-election, marking a significant win for the BJP in the state.Following the demise of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat, the Kedarnath Assembly seat was contested in a by-election where BJP candidate Asha Nautiyal emerged victorious. Nautiyal secured a total of 23,814 votes, defeating her closest rival, Congress candidate Manoj Rawat, by a margin of 5,622 votes. Rawat received 18,192 votes. This victory marks Asha Nautiyal’s third term as the MLA from this constituency.Asha Nautiyal, who has contested in five out of six elections since the formation of Uttarakhand, has been elected as an MLA for the third time. Speaking to TNIE, she stated, “This victory is not just mine; it is a win for the Bharatiya Janata Party and the development works being carried out under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Kedar Valley, which the divine people here have endorsed.”Manveer Singh Chauhan, the state media in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), told this newspaper, “Party candidate Asha Nautiyal, who has won for the third time, has achieved her victory by the largest margin this time. Previously, in 2002, she defeated Congress’s Shaila Rani Rawat by 3,465 votes, and in 2007, she triumphed over Congress’s Kunwar Singh by 2,979 votes.””The main reason for the defeat of Congress candidate and former MLA Manoj Rawat was the independent candidate Tribhuvan Singh, who received 9,311 votes. Tribhuvan primarily made inroads into Congress’s stronghold,” said election analyst Avikal Thapliyal.In a disappointing outcome for the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), a party that played a crucial role in the formation of Uttarakhand, candidate Ashutosh Bhandari managed to secure only 1,314 votes in this by-election. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hailed the BJP’s victory in the Kedarnath assembly by-election, saying, “This win in Kedarnath is a triumph of the people, the organization, the workers, and above all, a victory for Narendra Modi ji.”Taking a swipe at the Congress, Dhami added, “Our victory is not just a win over regionalism and casteism, but also a defeat of the false and baseless allegations leveled against me and my government by the opposition.”
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