Following the Lok Sabha loss in Faizabad, home to Ayodhya, and the setback in the Badrinath Assembly bypoll, the BJP is making a concerted effort to avoid another defeat in a constituency that includes a significant pilgrimage site.

The Kedarnath Lord Shiva shrine, located in the Kedarnath Assembly seat, is set to hold a bypoll on November 20. This seat became vacant after the passing of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat in July.

As a strategic initial move, the BJP has turned to its well-known playbook: the announcement of major infrastructure projects. Ahead of the bypoll, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami pledged to serve as the acting MLA of Kedarnath until a new MLA is elected.

On October 6, the Chief Minister visited Rudraprayag in Kedarnath and laid the foundation for 141 projects. The following day, he unveiled 14 additional developmental projects for Kedarnath and nearby areas.

On Monday, the CM’s office announced the release of ₹48.36 crore for the repair and redevelopment of the Kedarnath trek route, which had been damaged due to landslides and heavy rain.

Just hours before the bypoll schedule was announced on Tuesday, the Chief Minister’s office approved ₹13.89 crore for various other development projects in Kedarnath. Additionally, the government disclosed a list of 28 projects worth ₹25 crore that have been approved in Kedarnath for this financial year.

“As promised, the Chief Minister has not only announced various development projects in the Kedar valley and surrounding areas but has also initiated work on these projects,” stated a press release from the Uttarakhand government.

Sources within the BJP reported that Cabinet ministers Satpal Maharaj, Saurabh Bahuguna, Ganesh Joshi, and Rekha Arya have already visited Kedarnath and are formulating a campaign schedule.

In addition to the development agenda, the BJP aims to gather sympathy votes by considering a ticket for Rawat’s daughter, Aishwarya Rawat. However, Uttarakhand Mahila Morcha state president Asha Nautiyal, along with Kuldeep Singh Rawat, who was the runner-up in the past two elections as an Independent candidate, and party spokesperson Colonel Ajay Kothiyal, are also reportedly vying for the ticket.

In the 2022 Assembly elections, Rawat won against Independent Kuldeep Singh by a margin of 8,463 votes, while Congress came in third. In the 2017 elections, Congress had narrowly secured the seat with a margin of 869 votes over Kuldeep Singh.

The Uttarakhand Congress is feeling optimistic after winning the Badrinath and Manglaur Assembly bypolls in July. Party sources indicate that 21 to 51 workers have been deployed at each polling booth in Kedarnath to manage election-related activities.

The party has also appointed MLAs Bhuwan Chandra Kapri and Virendra Kumar as observers, tasked with identifying potential candidates. Former minister Harak Singh Rawat and former MLA Manoj Rawat are both strong contenders for the Congress nomination.

In response to the BJP’s announcements, Congress has criticized Chief Minister Dhami and the party. AICC social media national coordinator Amarjeet Singh told The Indian Express, “After Ayodhya and Badrinath, the BJP is set to face defeat in Kedarnath. The way the Chief Minister (Dhami) speaks about land jihad and now thook (spitting) jihad shows that the BJP government has no real achievements to present to the voters.”