Campaigning ends for 5 LS seats in U’khand

Dehradun, 9 April (IANS): The electioneering for all the five Lok Sabha seats in the state going to polls in the first phase on April 11 came to end on Tuesday evening.
During the campaign, most political parties and candidates relied on loudspeaker-fitted vehicles and road shows to garner support.
Over 78.56 lakh people in the state will cast their votes to decide the fate of 52 candidates. Chief Electoral Officer Saujanya said all arrangements for the “free and fair” election through EVMs with 137 per cent VVPATs (37 per cent reserved), have been completed.
Director General of Police (DGP) Anil Raturi said tight security arrangements had been made to prevent any untoward incident. “Our forces are on the alert for a peaceful election,” said Raturi.
Of the 11,229 polling booths, 563 have been declared vulnerable and 969 critical. Majority of the vulnerable and critical booths are in the Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun districts.
Over 45,000 police and other security forces, including 65 companies of paramilitary forces and 16,000 home guards, have been deployed for the election. To keep vigil, 235 flying squads have been constituted.
In Uttarakhand, 85 inter-state and 10 international barriers have been set up.
The BJP and the Congress are locked in straight fights in all five seats. Only in Haridwar, the contest is nearly triangular, with the BSP giving anxious moments to both the BJP and the Congress. Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Ramesh Pokhriyal Naishank is facing Ambrish Kumar of the Congress and Antriksh Saini of the BSP.
In Nainital, Congress General Secretary and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat is facing a stiff challenge from BJP state Chief Ajay Bhatt.
In Tehri, sitting MP Mala Rajyalaxmi Shah, daughter-in-law of the late Maharaja, Manvendra Shah, is caught in a tough battle with state Congress Chief Pritam Singh.
It’s a battle between Manish Khanduri (Congress), son of former Chief Minister BC Khanduri, and BJP’s National Secretary Tirath Singh Rawat in the Pauri Lok Sabha constituency.
In Almora, Union minister of State Textile Ajay Tamta (BJP) is also fighting Pradip Tamta of the Congress.