With Uniform Civil Code as 2022 Poll Promise, Hindutva Narrative Seems to Have Entered Uttarakhand Politics : #RashtraNews
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Hours before Uttarakhand goes to the polls, a couple of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are busy calculating equations in the assembly constituencies at the party office in Dehradun. Unlike the 2017 assembly elections, when the BJP was clearly taking a lead, this time, it seems, it’s less about the party and more about individual candidates.
Interestingly, this is perhaps for the first time the BJP has aggressively pitched the Hindutva narrative in the 2022 election in the Himalayan state. In the past four assembly elections, ever since Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, the BJP’s poll campaign revolved around state-specific issues such as migration, corruption and development. However, in this poll campaign, the Hindutva narrative has taken the front seat.
On the last day of campaigning on February 12, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami played the trump card by promising the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) if the BJP was re-elected in the state. This came as a surprise for many, not only in the party, but also in the opposition. The UCC has remained one of the core issues of the BJP.
When asked what made him talk about the UCC in the last leg of the election campaign, chief minister Dhami, in a television interview to News18, said, “Uttarakhand shares international boundaries (with Nepal and China). It is necessary to protect the state, culturally… there is a need of a common set of laws for citizens, irrespective of the religion”.
The UCC is one of the poll promises figured lately in the BJP manifesto. Earlier this week, the BJP promised amendments in the anti-conversion law to check ‘love jihad’ – a term loosely used to describe alleged ‘forced activity’ involving inter-faith relations. Besides, the party has promised district-level committees to curb the unchecked activity of the ‘outsiders’ purchasing land and posing threat to the ‘demography’ of the ‘Devbhoomi Uttarakhand’.
However, a section within the BJP is unsure whether issues such as the UCC and love jihad will help. Though, one of BJP’s minority leaders feels otherwise. “As a party, the BJP has to ensure that our core supporters remain firm with us. I am sure raising Hindutva issues will pay dividends,” said Shadab Shams, BJP’s prominent minority face in the state.
In the 70-member assembly, the BJP and opposition Congress have locked horns in the majority of the seats. The News18 team extensively travelled in parts of the state and has observed that more than the party, it is the candidate’s image that matters among the voters.
The head of the Congress election committee, Harish Rawat, who is contesting from the Lalkuan constituency, said the Congress has an edge over others this time. Commenting on the BJP’s Hindutva plank, the Congress poster boy, Rawat, said, “This is not an issueless election. Voters confronting BJP candidates and therefore issues such as the UCC, etc have popped up with an aim to divert attention”.
In around 12 seats, particularly in the plains, minorities hold the key. The BJP in the 2017 elections, won easily in many such seats, bringing Hindu voters under the ‘Hindutva’ umbrella. Though this time, factors such as Dalit pride and farmers’ issues have emerged in the ‘complex constituencies’.
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( News Source :Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Rashtra News staff and is published from a www.news18.com feed.)
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