High Stakes at Kedarnath: BJP and Congress Clash in Bypoll Battle

The Kedarnath assembly constituency in Uttarakhand is witnessing a bypoll with a voter turnout exceeding 17% in the initial hours. The seat, vacated by the late BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat, sees BJP's Asha Nautiyal and Congress's Manoj Rawat in a close contest under tight security and monitoring.

The Kedarnath assembly constituency of Uttarakhand experienced a bypoll on Wednesday, marking a voter turnout of over 17 percent within the first three hours of polling.

By 11 a.m., 17.69 percent of voters had participated in the election, according to an election official. Polling commenced at 8 a.m. and was scheduled to continue until 6 p.m.

The assembly seat, located in Rudraprayag district, became vacant following the demise of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat in July. In this bypoll, BJP's Asha Nautiyal is facing off against Congress's Manoj Rawat among six candidates.

A total of 173 polling booths have been prepared, with CCTVs installed in 130. The polling process is being closely monitored by the District and Chief Election Officer's Office, alongside the Election Commission through webcasting from the CCTV cameras, CEO BVRC Purushottam stated.

The bypoll holds significant importance for both the BJP and Congress, as the BJP aims to retain the seat while Congress is strategizing to defeat the ruling party, similar to their efforts in the Badrinath constituency.

(With inputs from agencies.)