3 strong reasons why we will win all 5 seats in Uttarakhand: CM Trivendra Rawat

Chief minister

Trivendra Singh Rawat, in an interview with TOI correspondent Kautilya Singh, talks about BJP’s prospects in the upcoming polls and why he is confident his party will repeat the 2014 performance of winning all five seats

How many seats do you think the BJP will secure in the state?
After spending time with people in all five constituencies, I am confident that we will repeat the 2014

Lok Sabha

elections performance and win all five seats in the state. The three strong reasons for the same are — several developmental works undertaken during the last five years, Centre’s contribution to several key projects of the state and the numerous projects launched by the state government. Be it

Dehradun

or far flung areas of the state, people want Narendra Modi as their Prime Minister.

How do you plan to counter anti-incumbency which may impact your chances in the polls?

I don’t think ant-incumbency is a factor. Recently, there was a strong apprehension that anti-incumbency will play a crucial role in the urban local body elections but we won five of the seven mayoral seats. What does this reflect? It shows that people are appreciating the development activities being carried out by the BJP government and the steps being taken to curb corruption. There hasn’t been a single corruption allegation against the BJP government in Uttarakhand.

How much will Manish Khanduri’s candidature hurt BJP in Pauri?

I had not heard the name of Manish Khanduri before he joined the Congress. Only after he joined Congress, I found out he was Major General (retd) B C Khanduri’s son. BC Khanduri is a highly respected leader who has been associated with the grassroot level and is an inspiration for all of us. But Manish is new and has no connect with the people of the state. He is a parachute candidate and by giving him a ticket, Congress has demoralized its own party members who have been eyeing a ticket for past many years. Manish Khanduri’s candidature will have no impact on us but will in turn harm the Congress.

Why did BJP deny a ticket to senior leaders like BC Khanduri and

Bhagat Singh Koshyari

?

Khanduriji and Koshyariji have been the pivotal force for the BJP in Uttarkahand. Many leaders, including myself, have learnt a lot from them. Both the stalwarts had expressed their desire to not contest the elections and the candidates on their respective seats were decided after discussions with them.

Is BJP solely dependent on PM Modi’s popularity to win seats in Uttarakhand?
There is no doubt about the fact that PM Modi is the most popular leader of the country presently. His fan following is unmatched and his performance in the last five years, too, has been remarkable.

We are honoured that the PM has made frequent visits to Uttarakhand and launched projects for the welfare of the state. While the all-weather Char Dham road project, worth Rs 12,000 crore, is set to boost road connectivity, the UDAN scheme has improved air connectivity. The PM has always thought about people of Uttarakhand.

Will internal fighting among senior leaders impact BJP in polls?
BJP is a huge family. Party members have different opinions but it does not mean that there are differences among leaders. We are united and are contesting the election together. Our only aim and slogan is — Modi Once More.

Congress is targeting BJP over corruption, delay in Lokayukta appointment and no CBI probe in NH-74 matter...

The PM has given us the mantra of “zero tolerance towards corruption” and working on the same lines, we have choked corruption in the state. Earlier, people involved in corrupt practices were directly connected with the government. However, in BJP’s tenure, we have targeted such people and weeded out corruption from the system. For the first time, action has been taken against an IAS officer. As for the Lokayukta, the bill is currently in the assembly.