Uttarakhand Polls 2027: Bageshwar's Battle Lines Take Shape

Dehradun, November 2: Uttarakhand's political parties have begun laying the groundwork for the 2027 Assembly elections, and the battle lines are beginning to take shape in Bageshwar district. Both of its seats, Kapkot and Bageshwar (SC reserved), were won by the BJP in 2022, but recent electoral trends suggest the contest may not be one-sided.

Kapkot is a seat where the BJP and the Congress usually fight head-to-head. Since the state was formed, the BJP has won here five times out of six elections, while the Congress has won once. In 2022, Suresh Singh Gariya of the BJP defeated Lalit Mohan Singh Farswan of the Congress by 4,046 votes, with Gariya getting 31,275 votes and Farswan 27,229. AAP candidate Bhupesh Upadhyay placed third with 3,529 votes.

The seat's significance is heightened by its status as the home constituency of former Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, which makes it highly sensitive and high-profile in state politics. Local dynamics, including the 'Kanda factor', internal rivalries and the mobilisation of local leaders, are expected to influence the outcome. The UKD's growing activity here could also add to the competition.

In Bageshwar (reserved), the BJP has held a dominant position for years. Chandan Ram Das was the MLA from 2007 until 2022. After his passing, the BJP nominated his wife, Parvati Das, who won the 2023 bypoll by defeating Congress's Basant Kumar by 2,405 votes. Her tally was 33,247 votes, compared with 30,842 for Kumar.

The BJP's organisational network in the constituency is considered its main strength. Its detailed booth-level planning, along with road building and development initiatives in rural areas, has been central to its appeal. The margin, which stood at about 12,000 votes in 2022, shrank to only 2,405 votes in the 2023 bypoll. The Congress sees this as an opening, and the religious and cultural character of Bageshwar will continue to influence the political debate.