By staff reporter
Dehradun, 3 Mar: “Ab ki bar 400 paar” shrieked BJP graffiti on the Balbir Road in Dehradun.
This graffiti, funded by Amit Kapoor, a Dehradun-based BJP leader, is part of the ruling party’s campaign to entice voters even as the Election Commission has not announced the dates of the Lok Sabha elections slated to be held in April-May.
With the BJP releasing the first list of 195 candidates including three from Uttarakhand to take the lead over the opposition, the party’s campaign in real time has kick-started in many ways. “We have taken a lead over the opposition by declaring the first list of 195 candidates,” said Manvir Singh Chauhan, the media-incharge of the ruling BJP in the state.
Singh took a dig at the Congress saying the opposition candidates are scared to face BJP at the hustings. “We are going to repeat 5-0 this time also in Uttarakhand,” said Chauhan.
Chauhan said the party has also started a campaign for the election through various social media platforms.
Sounding the poll bugle for the 2024 polls, the BJP on Saturday released its first list of 196 candidates that included the candidature of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi. The party has also declared three Uttarakhand candidates — Ajay Bhatt will contest from Nainital, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah from Tehri and Ajay Tamta from Almora.
On the other hand, Congress is still undecided on releasing its first list. Already, there are reports that top state Congress leaders like Pritam Singh are averse to the idea of contesting Lok Sabha election. “Singh has already said a big no to the party on contesting election from Tehri,” said a Congress leader.
When contacted, state Congress President Karan Mahara said the meeting of the party’s screening committee will be held on 6 March. Thereafter, the list will be finalised, he said. He also claimed that the Congress will repeat the 2009 results when it won all the five seats in the state.
