Uttarakhand Elections 2017: Voting To Be Held On Feb 15, Results On March 11

Dehradun: Assembly elections for the 70 seats in Uttarakhand will be held on February 15, the Election Commission has announced today. The results of the primarily two-sided contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP, will be announced on March 11. In the 2012 assembly elections, the Congress had defeated the BJP in a close call to return to power by winning 32 seats against 31 and relying on the support of independent legislators. This time, the Congress government, which was restored by the Supreme Court after Presidents' Rule was imposed in the state last year, faces a stiff challenge from the BJP.

Here's a ready reckoner for the coming Uttarakhand elections:
Elections will be held on February 15
Results will be announced on March 11
Number of seats: 70
Ruling party: Congress

The results of Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2012
Congress: 32 seats, 33.79% voteshare
BJP:  31 seats; 33.13% voteshare
Others: 7 seats

The results of Lok Sabha Elections 2014
Congress: 0 seats , 34% voteshare
BJP: 5 seats, 55.3% voteshare  
Others: 0 seats, 10.7% voteshare

While the Congress was aided by an anti-incumbency wave against the ruling BJP in 2012, this year, they face same challenge. Uttarakhand has swiveled back and forth between the BJP and the Congress ever since it was formed out in 2000. This year the story could repeat as resentment against corruption allegations against Chief Minister Harish Rawat's government peaked.

The key constituencies in Uttarakhand include Kedarnath, Rudraprayag, Ghansali, Narendranagar, Tehri, Raipur, Roorkee, Dharchula, Ranikhet and Haldwani. Leaders like Harish Rawat, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, BC Khanduri, Vijay Bahuguna, Harak Singh Rawat, Satpal Maharaj, Ajay Bhatt, Kishor Upadhaya and Indira Hridayesh will be among the key players in the polls.