Post-delimitation interesting contest in Dharampur

BJP’s Dhyani faces sitting Lakshman Chowk MLA 

Dehradun, January 18
This is the first Assembly elections to be held after delimitation and the political scene on many seats have changed to such an extent that it has upset the calculations of many political leaders.

Ironically, the new Dharampur Assembly seat does not include the Dharampur area and is part of Dehradun district.

In the pre-delimitation period, Dharampur was part of the Doiwala Assembly segment that too has been redrawn. Now, 75 per cent of the erstwhile Laxman Chowk Assembly seat areas have been included in the Dharampur constituency, including about three gram sabhas from Sahaspur, two wards from the Doiwala seat and the Clement Town Cantt area.

Experts say post-delimitation the change in demography may have an impact on the election results. As caste is an important factor in the hills, political parties have fielded candidates belonging to two major castes, according to their demographical domination, while in Dehradun district it is not a major factor. But with delimitation a new set of voters has emerged, which may have a different voting pattern.

“In the Dharampur seat, Muslims comprise 15 per cent and Garhwali voters 60 per cent and they may tilt the scale in the favour of any candidate,” says Jay Singh Rawat, a senior journalist.

Among the four major parties, which have fielded candidates from Dharampur, the fight is mainly between the BJP and the Congress. Both BSP and Samajwadi Party have fielded Muslim candidates and it will be interesting to see whether there is a perceptible shift in the voting pattern, feel political observers.

Promises of better roads, sewerage and a sewage treatment plant have the potential of sending the Congress graph soaring, claims sitting MLA from Laxman Chowk Dinesh Agarwal. The Congress has fielded Agarwal from the Dharampur seat. He had won the Laxman Chowk seat twice.

However, BJP candidate Prakash Suman Dhyani, who is contesting the Assembly poll for the first time, says Agarwal failed to fulfil his promises, including construction of a park and an auditorium. He also failed to utilise his Local Area Development Fund of Rs 25 crore. Dhyani is banking on BC Khanduri’s popularity to emerge victorious.

Voters: 1.97 lakh Composition of voters Muslim: 15 per cent Garhwali: 60 per cent Candidates in Fray BJP: Prakash Suman Dhyani Congress: Dinesh Agarwal (sitting MLA from Laxman Chowk seat) BSP: Haji Saleem Samajwadi Party: Manzoor Hasan Ansari