Pauri (Uttarakhand), Apr 16 (PTI) Local issues like unemployment, health infrastructure, paper leak, land reform, etc. have taken centrestage for voters in Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency of Uttarakhand which will see polling on April 19.
Shortage of teachers and doctors and rapid migration are some of the other local issues, while the recruitment under Agnipath scheme and the women's safety after the Ankita Bhandari murder case are also expected to matter.
Former state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal is locked in a direct contest against BJP's national media chief Anil Baluni.
"The major concern of the region is that youths have migrated to bigger cities due to lack of employment opportunities. They have adopted the lifestyle of those areas and reverse migration seems to be an impossible task here," Prateet Dhasmana, a resident of Pauri Garhwal, said.
Many villagers are complaining about the lack of infrastructure in the remote areas of the state, especially in those places that have no tourist or religious significance.
Rohit Pawar, another resident of Pauri, said, "The district is highly affected by migration. It does not get any benefit from religious tourism. People in the area are demanding employment and raising this issue with every candidate who is coming here for campaigning. The Ankita Bhandari case has also raised questions over women safety."
Many big faces, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have campaigned for Baluni. Modi held a public rally in Rishikesh which is a tri-junction for Garhwal, Haridwar, and Tehri Lok Sabha constituencies.
Union Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday also addressed a rally here in favour of Baluni.
Atul Sati, social worker and convenor of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, said Delhi is close to Uttarakhand and in every general election, national level issues have played an important role in the politics of the state.
"However, for the first time, the local issues of unemployment, health infrastructure, paper leak, land reform, etc. have become prominent in this election. These issues have become crucial in the last two years."
M M Semwal, head of the department of political science at HNBG University Srinagar Garhwal, said regional political parties are very crucial for any state.
"This time, the election campaign is more technology based. The local issues are also playing a very important role in this election. The role of women voters, who are known as silent voters, will play a crucial role in this poll. The role of regional political parties is also very crucial for any state. Their manifestos are also based on regional issues which directly impact the local people.
"Uttarakhand does not have a state-level party. You can see the impact of state level parties in the south. If you have a strong state level party, then the regional issues can be raised more effectively," Semwal said.
Godiyal, expressing confidence of a win, said, "Migration is an issue which people are facing here. If you want to stop migration, you will have to provide employment. We are also fighting against the Agnipath programme."
However, state BJP media in-charge Manvir Singh Chauhan claimed Baluni will win with a big margin.
"The BJP has been preparing at the grass-roots level since last year and it will continue working. This time we will win by a bigger margin since the double engine government is working rapidly for the development of Uttarakhand," he said.
BJP's Tirath Singh Rawat won the seat in 2019 and BC Khanduri in 2014.