Uttarakhand: Congress’s failure in Garhwal led to defeat

DEHRADUN: The Garhwal region has always been considered a weak spot for Uttarakhand Congress and the fact that it little to address the issue this time was a major reason behind the party’s defeat in the hill state.
This time, Congress won just eight of 41 seats in Garhwal. In the 2017 elections, it had won just six, with BJP winning 35 of the 41 seats in Garhwal, one short of the magic number that year.
Congress did slightly improve its tally in Kumaon this time (from six in 2017 to eight this year), but could not compensate for the thrashing the party suffered in Garhwal.
Poll analyst Udit Ghildiyal said, “ While Congress national leaders have rarely visited the Garhwal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath have visited this pocket frequently.”