Nainital: Congress has held the Haldwani Assembly seat since 2007, but retaining the constituency will be no small feat for the party this time around. The party fielded Sumit Hridayesh, son of Congress leader Indira Hridayesh, who died last year, from the seat. While analysts believe Sumit will get sympathy votes, they add that some Indira supporters may vote for other candidates in the fray.
The Congress Sumit will face BJP‘s Jogendra Pal Singh Rautela, who is a two-time mayor of Haldwani and has a huge support base. On the other hand, Rautela is betting on anti-incumbency against Congress to swing the votes.
In addition, Samajwadi party candidate Shoaib Ahmed and Abdul Matin Siddiqui of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen are expected to cut into traditional Muslim votes in Congress. The Banbhulpura area in the constituency has a predominantly Muslim population and their voting preference will have a significant impact on the election outcome.
According to Electoral Commission data, Haldwani constituency has 1,51,222 voters comprising 79,114 males and 72,048 females.
Meanwhile, the BJP is also trying to pacify local constituency leaders who were pushing for a ticket. The dissatisfaction of these local leaders and their supporters could hurt the prospects of the saffron party in the elections in Haldwani.