DEHRADUN:  Will 82.67 lakh voters of Uttarakhand  reelect the BJP’s Pushkar Singh Dhami double engine government on its poll plank, “Kiya Hai, Kar Sakte Hai, Karen Gae”? Or will they vote in Congress which is seeking votes on “Chhar Dham, Chaar Kam” freebies? Or will they opt for the third alternative AAP, with Col Ajay Kothiyal, a bachelor fauji and AAP's  Chief Minister face seeking votes on  "10 guarantees and freebies"?   

Amid this galore of freebies and promises, BJP’s two firebrand Chief Ministers-Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh and Dr Himanta Biswa  Sarma, Assam- kicked up a political storm in the last leg of campaigning on Saturday  attacking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Uttarakhand going to polls on February 4. Gandhi had performed puja at Har Ki Pauri earlier and  had also attacked Prime Minister Narender Modi and BJP while campaigning in Uttarakhand. 

BJP’s bigwigs- Prime Minister Narender Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda kept its main rival Congress on target and counted its achievements, development works and projects including Char Dham, railways, roads, Har Ghar ko Jal, LPG gas connection, health schemes, Sainya Dham project to woo all shades of voters. They also promised that they would implement the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand if BJP comes back to power.  

Prime Minister Narender Modi addressed Vijay Sankalp rallies in Rudrapur and other places, saying that the root cause of migration is lack of road connectivity, which the doble engine Sarkar has been addressing in a big way by constructing road, rails and ropeways that will bring in tourism and create employment.  

Answering the AAP and Congress charge, Prime Minister in series of rallies said they changed CMs in Uttarakhand, but “we  have not changed our duties towards the citizens and left no stone unturned to fulfill them in state”. The single root cause of migration is lack of connectivity and basic amenities  in villages in Uttarakhand, we worked on providing road, rail and air connectivity and ropeways, the projects that created lot of employment and today now 90 per cent of villages have roads in the state”.

Home Minister Amit Shah performed puja at Har Ki Pauri and campaigned in the holy city,  Dhanaulti, Sahaspur, Raipur seeking votes on the basis of development works of double engine government and attacked Congress for appeasing the Muslims and minorities for the last 75 years.

But it was Sarma and Yogi who took Congress leaders head- on. “Rahul Gandhi kept on questing Indian army and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat, a son of Uttarakhand, on surgical strike and sought proof. Are they are seeking proof that he is son of his father?”, charged Sarma in Srinagar on Saturday.   “Gandhi Parivar also had problems with Gen Sunderji and Gen Cariappa in the past. Now the time has come to question them as well…”, charged Sarma, while concluding the election campaign on Saturday and made “Mohmmad Ali Zinnah of modern India” jibe against Rahul Gandhi that kicked up a political storm on social media.   

Yogi also attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Tehri and  Kotdwar on the issue of as to what  “Hindu stands for”. “We finished mafia raj in UP and not even a single riot took place, and we are now building up Ram Mandir in a peaceful atmosphere”, he said.  

“We solved old issues that Uttarakhand had with UP in an hour time, which were pending for the last 20 years”, he claimed and sought votes for the BJP.  Pushkar Singh Dhami is riding high on the “Modi-Dhami double engine cast” from Khatima, a seat which he had won twice.   

For Congress, the hills and gorges of Uttarakhand are not that easy to climb, with BJP firing shots straight at “Gandhis” painting them as appeasers of Muslims.  Countering BJP remarks, Priyanka Gandhi in rally on Saturday said BJP leaders were hitting below the belt. Her family including her grandmother, father and mother  had devoted their  life in the service of the country and such remarks are aimed at diverting the attention of the people from the real issues like unemployment, price rise, poor state of economy of poor and small businesses,  health and education that people face today in Uttarakhand, she said and sought votes for change to bring in Congress on promise of “Char Dham, Chhar Kaam”.

 It was AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi at “Uttarakhandi Swabhiman virtual rally  at Haridwar, who had  announced “ Chhar Dham, Chhar Kaam” poll promises to the voters of Uttarakhand. “Congress if voted to power would give 4 lakh jobs to youth of Uttarakhand, Transfer Rs 40,000 directly into the bank accounts of five lakh poor families, provide LPG gas cylinder at the rate of Rs 500”.

Talking about the third promise, Rahul Gandhi had announced that the Congress government would provide health services at the door step of the people. The medicines, Doctor will reach at the door step, so will be the ambulance. Where the ambulance cannot go, we will provide health services on motor bikes and where it is not possible, we will provide the services by using drones, he said.

Taking jibes at Prime Minister Narender Modi, Rahul Gandhi had charged Modi had promised five crore jobs to youth of India and Rs 15 lakh to be transferred into the bank accounts of each citizen. “Still, people are waiting it to happen and BJP was spreading politics of hatred”, he had charged.

However, two Congress popular Leaders- Harish Rawat, former chief minister contesting from Lalkuwa and Pritam Singh, the four times MLA from Chakrata are fanning out that the BJP changed two Chief Ministers in month time that showed they are not capable of running the government and trust deficit.  

The third major contender for power in Uttarakhand is AAP. The party has also announced freebies for the voters, seeking votes on its promise of 10 guarantees in their manifesto. AAP CM-face Col Kothiyal, a post-Pulbama operation hero, who also had led the rescue operation in Kedarnath flood tragedy, is fighting from Gangotri seat.

AAP's Col is also riding high on his “soldier appeal” in Uttarakhand. “We will constitute Rozgar and Palayan Mantralya (employment and migration ministry)  and will start  separate job portal”, he  said. “We will write one lakh jobs at single stroke, will give Rs 5000 as an allowance to unemployed till they get job and 80 per cent jobs will be reserved for local youth. We will give 200 units of Bijli free, and free health and Rs 1000 per month to women”, he said while he went village to village seeking votes citing 10 guarantees of AAP.     

AAP Leader and Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia read out the 10 guarantees of the AAP for people of Uttarakhand in Dehradun. He claimed that AAP is witnessing the same undercurrent  in Uttarakhand as  the party had in Delhi elections.  “Delhi  CM and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Col Kothiyal have a clear vision for development of Uttarakhand as people have seen the BJP and Congress governments for 10 years each in history of the state”, Sisodia said.

The voters have kept the parties on their toes,  demanding the jobs for the unemployed youth, sustained sources of livelihoods, better roads and health and education facilities and check on prices of essential commodities”.

The parties have also launched their party songs and animation videos and campaigns trying their best to project their  promise and putting the rivals in poor light on social media.   

Despite the political rhetoric raised by the parties,  Uttarakhand's about 84 lakh voters,  will  select 70 lawmakers among 632 candidates,  who are contesting  from 70 assembly seats. Bur they  have kept the parties on their toes.  Only the poll results on March 10  can tell their true mind.