Kotdwar Results 2017: BJP's Harak Singh wins

Lucknow: The Kotdwar assembly constituency which dramatically affected the outcome of the previous assembly elections in 2012 is again a cynosure of all eyes as an interesting battle between heavyweights Harak Singh Rawat of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)and Surendra Singh Negi of Congress is in offing. 

The polling took place in Kotdwar on February 15 and in a single phase.

The counting of votes will be done on March 11 and election results will be declared on the same day itself. Polling on all 70 assembly seats was done in a single phase.

This Vidhan Sabha seat comes under Uttarakhand and it is among 70 assembly seat of state. Kotdwar is considered as the gateway of Garhwal but the political temperament of people of this constituency has stunned the political observers in past.

In 2002, the Congress strongman Surendra Singh Negi won from here by defeating his BJP supported rival Bhuvnesh Kharakwal. Interestingly, the nomination papers of the official BJP candidate Anil Balooni were rejected by the election commission.

In the elections of 2007, a newcomer Shailendra Singh Rawat stunned the Congress when he defeated their Surendra Singh Negi from the same seat.

However, it was the assembly elections of 2012 when Kotdwar grabbed national attention. At that times, Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri had emerged as the BJP candidate from here.

The BJP fought that election on the slogan 'Khanduri hai Jaroori' and the former Army general brought BJP on brink of victory in the state but Kotdwar sprang up a major surprise which saw Khanduri tasting defeat at the hands of Congress veteran Surendra Singh Negi.

This year, after being denied ticket to contest from the same seat, Shailendra Singh Rawat became a BJP rebel and joined Congress. He is contesting from Yamkeshwar assembly constituency. 

With Shailendra Singh Rawat becoming a BJP rebels, the party has placed its bet on Harak Singh Rawat who has an untarnished track record of not loosing in any assembly elections. 

Harak Singh is the former Minister of Finance and has also served as a Leader of Opposition in the state from 2007-12.