Former CMs, ministers face stiff competition

Counting of votes for Uttarakhand assembly elections will be held on Tuesday amid tight security.

The results of an election are being declared after a gap of more than one month.

All arrangements of the counting of votes have been completed and the counting would begin at 8am tomorrow (Tuesday), said Uttarakhand joint electoral officer Radha Raturi.

There re are no special arrangements made by the election commission to show trends for the counting, Raturi said.

"We will too depend on TV channels on information" said Raturi.

A total of 16 centres across the 13 districts have been set up for counting of votes for 70 assembly constituencies, she said.

During the first half an hour, postal ballots would be counted and later counting of votes cast through EVMs would be taken up, she said.

In Uttarakhand, the polling was held on January 30.

The elections would decide the fate of chief minister BC Khanduri who is locked in a tussle against Surendra Singh Negi from Kotdwar seat.

Besides Khanduri, former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and several ministers are also facing stiff competition in different constituencies.

The outcome in Rudraprayag constituency in Garhwal region is being watched with considerable interest as the leader of the opposition Harak Singh Rawat is pitted against his brother-in-law and irrigation minister Matbar Singh Kandari there.

Rawat is being seen as a hot contender for the post of chief minister if Congress returns to power.

Other key constituencies are be Doiwala seat where Nishank is facing a stiff challenge from Hira Singh Bist of Congress and SP Singh, a Congress rebel candidate.

Another interesting contest is at Devprayag where revenue minister Diwakar Bhatt is locked in a triangular contest against Shurvir Singh Sajwan and Mantri Prasad Naithani, a Congress rebel candidate.

Gangotri seat would decide the fate of two friends-turned-political rivals – Gopal Singh Rawat, sitting BJP MLA, and Vijaypal Singh Sajwan of Congress, who had won in 2002.