It is still more than a year to go for assembly elections in Uttarakhand, but all parties, including the ruling BJP, are already in preparation mode. The challenges for each are different, of course, but the energy being displayed indicates that the public seems open to change.
It would be natural to assume that, with its present hold over power, the BJP would be confident of scoring a hat-trick under the present CM, Pushkar Singh Dhami. However, there seem to be discernable tremors within the party, as usual, about leadership and possible change. In fact, former party president JP Nadda’s recent visit is being interpreted as a High Command move to quell dissent. The CM’s detractors are well-known, both in the hills and the plains. Thus far, the balance of power has been more or less maintained, but the differences remain deep and not so easily reconciled. Managing caste equations, particularly, is a challenge.
How much confidence the state government has in its MLAs becomes apparent from the fact that posts in the council of ministers have remained empty for a long time. Does it imply that the CM does not have confidence in party MLAs’ ability to take on such responsibilities? How will these ignored MLAs face voters in their constituencies at election time? There is also an increased trend to place trust in RSS backed individuals, which limits the autonomy of politicians that have emerged from local grassroots politics involving issues like ‘jal, jungle, zameen’. As for the development and governance scenario, people ask how much the state government has actually contributed, or is it just riding the central wave?
On its part, the Congress faces an overall crisis of leadership. Its leaders who have statewide support are either too old, or too controversial. The stature that UP-era politics provided is not available to the newer batch. The high standards set by ND Tiwari, even Indira Hridayesh, are hard to match. Overdependence on High Command patronage, also, has always been a problem with the party.
With all the problems that the state has faced in recent times, such as law and order, divisive politics, safety of women, identity issues, etc., the smaller parties – such as the UKD, Communists, etc. – have an opportunity to achieve relevance. Their recent protests and rallies have had an unusually enthusiastic response. Sections of mainstream civil society are increasingly identifying with the issues being raised by them. This shows Uttarakhand’s political direction is not on a certain path and will remain in flux till election time.
