Uttarakhand Assembly elections 2017: All you need to know

Harish Rawat would be looking forward to putting behind the sting operation against him.

New Delhi, Jan 16: Congress will be looking to retain power in Uttarakhand in the upcoming assembly elections. Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who is currently embroiled in a sting operation would also be looking forward to a fresh start in the state.

Star campaigners like Harish Rawat, BJP leaders Vijay Bahuguna and Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri are fighting it out in the state, that was under President's rule from 27 March 2016 to 12 May 2016. The President's rule was revoked following which Rawat resumed office. The election in the state will be held on February 15 in a single phase across 70 Assembly seats. The results will be announced on March 11.

Here are some more details about the upcoming elections in the state:

How Uttarakhand fared in 2012 Assembly poll:

Total seat- 117

Partywise seats:

• Congress won 32 seats
• BJP won 31 seats
• BSP won 3 seats
• Independent- 3 seats
• Uttarakhand Kranti Dal- 1 seat

Star campaigners in Uttarakhand:

Harish Rawat will be looking to continue the party's rule in the State whereas BJP is looking forward to pull an Assam in Uttarakhand. When compared to Rawat, BJP's Khanduri is also a popular choice among people for the CM post from the saffron party.

BJP is also likely to cash in on prime minister Narendra Modi's image while campaigning for the party in the state. It would be interesting to see whether BSP or any of the independents will join forces with the other bigger parties to for the government.

Issues that will dominate the polls:

Demonetisation, development in the state, unemployment factor are some of the issues that will be discussed by parties while they campaign in the state. Another key issue likely to come up is the illegal mining in the state that has left the state being more prone to floods.

OneIndia News