DEHRADUN:
BJP reclaimed Kedarnath assembly seat
in a decisive bypoll victory, a crucial test for the party’s political strength in
Uttarakhand
, with Asha Nautiyal securing 23,814 (44.5%) votes to defeat
Congress’s Manoj Rawat
by 5,622 (34%) votes, reports Kautilya Singh.
The win comes as a major relief for BJP, which lost
Badrinath assembly bypoll
to Congress in July, a month after facing a defeat in Faizabad (which encompasses Ayodhya) in LS polls . The victory is significant for PM Modi, who has said he shares a “deep personal connection” with Kedarnath.