Dehradun: The month of March is going to be full of activity in the politics of Uttarakhand. Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is visiting Haridwar on March 7. Preparations for which are going on war footing. This is mainly a cooperative conference. Apart from this, his visit is officially related to the review of preparations for the proposed Ardh Kumbh in the year 2027.
At the same time, even though this event is being organized to commemorate the four years of the Dhami government, in political circles it is also being considered very important from the point of view of the upcoming assembly elections. Especially the selection of a place like Haridwar is also very important.
Political signals from Holi Milan to Ardh Kumbh: CM Dhami had given information about this visit during the Holi Milan ceremony organized at the BJP state headquarters in Dehradun on March 2. He said that the Central Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 500 crore for organizing the proposed Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar in the year 2027.
Expressing gratitude to the Center for this, he said that this amount will be helpful in strengthening the infrastructure of the event. He said that the upcoming Ardh Kumbh of 2027 will be divine and grand, for this the fair administration officers and employees are already busy.
All work will be completed in a time bound manner and the event will be made historic. If CM Dhami is to be believed, Home Minister Amit Shah will reach Bairagi Camp in Haridwar on March 7. Where we will conduct on-site inspection of the preparations for Ardh Kumbh and take feedback from the concerned officials, and will also communicate with the public.
Review of preparations in high level meeting: Even today, before the visit of Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami held a high-level meeting and reviewed the preparations in detail. He instructed the officials that all the arrangements of the program should be well organized and dignified.
CM Dhami especially asked to be cautious regarding security, traffic management, parking system, cleanliness, drinking water, electricity supply and health services. He also directed that there should not be any inconvenience to the devotees and local citizens.
CM Dhami said that there is a possibility of a historic crowd in the proposed program at Bairagi Camp in Haridwar. The release of an amount of Rs 500 crore by the Center is an indication of how important a religious event like Kumbh is for the state. He also indicated that Amit Shah may also announce some new schemes for the state.
Sound of election trumpet: Political analysts believe that this visit will not be limited to merely reviewing religious events. This can also be a big show of political power on the occasion of completion of four years of Dhami government.
If BJP office is to be believed, Home Minister Amit Shah will also attend the meeting of the state BJP group. In which Core Committee members, former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, Tirath Singh Rawat, State General Secretary and senior leaders will be present. There is a possibility of brainstorming on the strategy for assembly elections 2027 in the meeting.
“Preparations for the upcoming elections will be reviewed in the meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah. In which the future strategy will be further strengthened.“- Mahendra Bhatt, BJP State President
Why are Haridwar seats important? Haridwar district is considered politically sensitive. In the last assembly elections, BJP could not get success in seats like Haridwar Rural, Khanpur, Mangalore and Piran Kaliyar. In such a situation, this time BJP is making a strategy to strengthen its hold here through religious events and development works.
“The objective of the program is not merely political gain. Rather, it also aims to convey the message of global preparations for the upcoming Kumbh. The development work done by our government in the last four years will be presented to the public through an exhibition. When a big central leader comes, it has a positive impact, this time we will form the government with a bigger lead.“- Madan Kaushik, Haridwar MLA/Former BJP State President
Congress’s counterattack: On the other hand, Congress has called this program of BJP a political stunt. Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat has expressed his views. He expressed concern over the current situation in the state.
“The kind of atmosphere being created in the state is a matter of concern. If the Home Minister comes to a holy city like Haridwar and talks about development then it is welcome, but diverting politics is not right. Even if BJP sends the entire central government to Uttarakhand, the people have made up their mind for change.“- Harish Rawat, former Chief Minister
Political analyst’s opinion: Senior political expert Sunil Dutt Pandey Believes that BJP is trying to organize both Kumbh and Assembly elections parallelly. According to him, the proposed visit of first Amit Shah and then Prime Minister Modi shows that religious events are being linked with political strategy. BJP has been facing challenges in Muslim dominated areas and rural areas in Haridwar. In such a situation, it will be interesting to see how much impact this program will have.
PM Modi’s visit also proposed: Let us tell you that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit is on 23 March. That is, after the program of Home Minister Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also proposed to visit Uttarakhand. If this happens, then this event of completion of four years of Dhami government can prove to be an election bugle in the state.