Haridwar Political Shifts: Congress Gains Ground for 2027 Assembly

Preparations for the 2027 Uttarakhand state elections are advancing rapidly, with political strategists zeroing in on Haridwar district's pivotal role in determining provincial leadership.

The electoral map of Haridwar spans twelve assembly territories: Haridwar, Bhel Ranipur, Jwalapur (SC), Bhagwanpur (SC), Jhabrera (SC), Piran Kaliyar, Roorkee, Khanpur, Manglaur, Laksar, and Haridwar Rural. The 2022 electoral cycle resulted in a BJP count of three, Congress at five, BSP at two, and one independent seat. A supplementary by-election victory in Manglaur subsequently raised the Congress holding to six active legislators.

Historical dominance defines the Haridwar constituency, where the BJP has held sway since 2002. Madan Kaushik has won five consecutive terms. His 2022 performance over Congress's Satyapal Brahmachari featured a 15,237-vote lead. Electoral records note 53,147 votes for Kaushik, 37,910 for Brahmachari, 2,142 for BSP's Charan Singh, and 1,248 for AAP's Sanjay Saini. The polling percentage stood at 64.23 percent.

Bhel Ranipur follows a similar trajectory, with BJP's Adesh Chauhan completing three consecutive stints. Chauhan's 2022 win carried a 13,862-vote advantage against Congress's Rajbeer Singh Chauhan. Ballot counts reached 57,544 for the winner, 43,682 for the runner-up, 5,880 for BSP's Om Pal Singh, 3,355 for AAP's Prashant Rai, and 1,480 for ASP's Prav Surya. Turnout measured 69.32 percent.

A notable swing occurred in Jwalapur (SC), where the BJP lost its grip in 2022 after dominating the 2012 and 2017 cycles. Congress's Rav Bahadur defeated BJP's Suresh Rathod by 13,343 votes, posting 42,372 to 29,029. BSP's Sheesh Pal Singh captured 14,760 votes. The electorate participation was robust at 79.30 percent, amounting to 92,757 voters.

Congress retains the SC-reserved Bhagwanpur seat, a hold established in a 2015 by-election following MLA Surendra Rakesh's death. Mamta Rakesh secured victory that year and repeated the feat in 2022, defeating BSP's Subodh Rakesh by 4,811 votes. The tally showed 44,808 for Mamta, 39,997 for Subodh, and 12,067 for BJP's Satyapal Singh. Participation reached 79.91 percent.

In Jhabrera (SC), Congress's Virander Kumar defeated BJP's Rajpal Singh by 8,216 votes. BSP's Aditya attracted 22,458 votes. The broader voting percentage was 78.40 percent.

Piran Kaliyar has backed Congress for three consecutive terms, currently represented by Furqan Ahmad since 2012. Ahmad's 2022 win over BJP's Munish Kumar Saini carried a 15,743-vote margin, recording 43,539 votes to 27,796. BSP's Surendra Singh and ASP's Abdul Wahid received 11,716 and 11,441 votes respectively, within a 77.47 percent turnout.

Pradeep Batra represents Roorkee for a third term. Beginning with the Congress in 2012, Batra joined the BJP in 2017 and successfully contested on their tickets in 2017 and 2022. The 2022 contest was tightly contested, decided by a 2,277-vote margin. Batra secured 36,986 votes, just ahead of Congress's Yashpal Rana at 34,709. BSP's Tanveer Ahmed and AAP's Naresh Kumar polled 2,932 and 753.

Khanpur's 2022 victory went to independent Umesh Kumar, who beat BSP's Ravinder Singh by 6,852 votes. Vote shares were 38,767 for Kumar, 31,915 for Singh, 30,834 for BJP's Rani Devyani, and 6,289 for Congress's Subhash Singh Chauhan. Turnout stood at 76.65 percent. Kumar departed the assembly early, resigning on October 28, 2026.

Manglaur, a traditional BSP area, saw a leadership change in 2024. Following Sarwat Karim Ansari's 2022 win and subsequent demise, Congress's Qazi Muhammad Nizamuddin won the by-election. Poll data shows 31,727 for Nizamuddin, 31,305 for BJP's Kartar Singh Bhadana, and 19,559 for Ansari's son, Obaidur Rahman.

In Laksar, BSP's Shahzad overcame BJP's Sanjay Gupta by a 10,440-vote margin in 2022. Shahzad gathered 34,899 votes, Gupta took 24,459, and Congress's Antariksh Saini received 11,584. The polling rate was 79.51 percent.

Congress expanded its footprint in Haridwar Rural in 2022, where Anupama Rawat defeated BJP's Yateeshwaranand by 4,472 votes. Rawat's total reached 50,028 against Yateeshwaranand's 45,556, while BSP's Muhammad Yunus polled 4,547. This constituency witnessed the highest voting engagement in the district at 81.95 percent.