Relief For Uttarakhand CM Dhami As BJP's Asha Nautiyal Wins Kedarnath Assembly Bypoll

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged victorious in the high-stakes Kedarnath assembly by-poll in Uttarakhand.

BJP candidate Asha Nautiyal secured 23,814 votes, defeating Congress nominee Manoj Rawat by a margin of 5,622 votes.

Nautiyal took an early lead and maintained it till the end. This is her third victory from the seat. She was elected to the state assembly from Kedarnath in 2002 and 2007 also.

Independent candidate Tribhuvan Singh turned out to be the unexpected contender in the by-election, finishing third with 9,303 votes.

Notably, Singh held the second position during some rounds, pushing the Congress to third temporarily.

The final tally of votes stood as follows: Asha Nautiyal (BJP) with 23,814 votes, Manoj Rawat (Congress) with 18,192 votes, and Tribhuvan Singh (Independent) securing 9,303 votes.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat in July. Polling was held on 20 November and a voter turnout of 57.64 per cent was recorded.

This victory has bolstered Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s standing in Uttarakhand.

Following setbacks in the Badrinath and Manglaur by-polls earlier in April, the Kedarnath by-election was seen as a critical test of his leadership.

A loss here might have cast doubts on his performance, but this success in a key constituency has reinforced his position in the state.

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