Each time the “falling popularity” of Tehri Garhwal candidate from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah becomes a talking point for her opponents and sections of the media, she manages to wrest a bigger margin.

In 2019, Shah got 565,333 votes and secured 64.3 per cent vote share. In 2019, Congress would select their strong and dependable candidate Pritam Singh to challenge Shah. Shah defeated him.

This time, Shah’s opponent from Congress is Jot Singh Gunsola, while Singh is hoping that the 12-year-old drought will end for his party.

Shah’s popularity as the lone woman candidate among the five in Uttarakhand, and the first woman MP elected from the hill state since its formation in 2000, is well-known. There is an underlying factor in her popularity. It is: the repeated reaffirmation of the voter trust in her royal lineage.

No matter who the Congress propped against her in electoral contests, the loyalty of people tilted towards her. It happened in the 2012 bypoll. It happened in 2014 and in 2019.

BJP’s Timely Improvisation 

Though the BJP is known for aggressively localising the Lok Sabha campaign down to the booth level, MLAs in the Tehri Garhwal seat have visibly taken the public interactions for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to a deeper level than the previous two elections held under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Shah, not known for long speeches, leaves the dais open to the MLAs and other local leaders. This gives MLAs direct communication and renewed conversations with the voters in their own assembly, block and booth.

BJP Uttarakhand is currently in the position where, if time limitations are removed, the conversations can, in entirety, be on the development and welfare undertaken by PM Modi during the last 10 years (in the state and nation). 

As in 2014 and 2019, Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi, member of the Pushkar Singh Dhami cabinet, is once again emerging as a prominent voice supporting Shah.

Shah joked at one of her public meetings on 22 March dedicated to the “anusuchit” sections of Mussoorie Vidhan Sabha, that Joshi even gently reprimands her for speaking less. 

Rajpur Road MLA Dass told this author: “The trust people have in the erstwhile royal family and their participation in politics has been intact since the times of the elders in the family. The good impact of the work done by PM Modi-led centre and CM Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government in Uttarakhand and the policies, has been felt by people.” 

The Rajpur Road (SC) seat secured by Khajan Dass in 2022 is his second consecutive, and covers a major part of urban Dehradun and a broad caste diversity canvas. 

Dass added, “As witnessed during the last 10 years, bringing development requires vision and hard work and does not happen with a magic wand. We will carry on development and good governance-centred work during the next term as well.”

‘Wins More, Seen Less’

Tehri Garhwal — a constituency where availability and visibility of the candidate during the term comes second to winnability and the winning margin. PM Modi, his work and focus on Uttarakhand, and his ‘doer’ image are reasons why the candidate’s low interaction with voters is expressed clearly but forgiven quickly. 

Several voters this author met said that Shah needs to be seen visiting Vidhan Sabhas during her term. The sentiment in the “durgam kshetra” — the remote areas in the Himalayan region — seemingly — is similar. 

DV Singh Rawat from Gaoran Village in block Jaunpur of Tehri Garhwal district told this author that the people are voting for PM Modi despite being upset with Shah.

“She is coming for her campaign now, par ek baar bhi kshetra mein nahin aayee wo is baar. The biggest issue we are facing here is the absence of a road connecting Syalsi village with Gaoran and Phidogi towards Dhanaulti. We need a Kendriya Vidyalaya here and polytechnic institution, but our issues are never addressed.” 

He adds that when Pritam Singh Panwar, an independent MLA from Dhanaulti joined the BJP, there was hope that he would get a ticket to Lok Sabha and that would change things. “Kam se kam wo samasya to sunte,” he adds. 

Voters expect fulfilment of promises made by netas at the state level. Many interventions cry for Centre and state partnership. At Garhi Cantt, the opinion on Agniveer scheme is divided in those who support it and don’t, just as the vote is, between the BJP and Congress. 

Development — The Key To Tehri 

The BJP knows the advantages of fielding Shah in a constituency where development is of paramount importance, and cannot be risked by giving the opponent anything that looks like a ‘fight’. Shah manages to scoop big wins. PM Modi’s work and people’s reciprocal warmth and sentiment in Uttarakhand drives it. 

This writer attended the Vikasnagar rally which managed to bind well the Himachali and Uttarakhandi cultural sensibilities through a speech delivered by J P Nadda.

At the Vikasnagar rally, right from teasing Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on how earlier people in Uttarakhand used to carry their bedding along when going to attend weddings, to mentioning how he himself used to wake to the sound of the axe in the forests, to reminding people how cooking fuel was ignited “phoonkni se phoonk phoonk kar” for a cup of tea, Nadda deftly drew the past and present in development that has taken place in Uttarakhand. 

What are the two developmental steps from PM Modi that have improved lives drastically in the villages: Rawat adds: “Jal Jeevan Mission and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. There is a nearby village that has only 10-15 families. Under Jal Jeevan Mission, a long, long, line has reached there. PM Kisan Nidhi is helping farmers a great deal in buying seeds, manure and equipment.” 

During his rally in Rudrapur, PM Modi mentioned that the people of Uttarakhand will get a zero bill on their electricity usage. Sections of the media dressed up this announcement in headlines as if a freebie was announced by PM Modi.

PM Modi instead made the offering of PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli — a transformative idea to the people of the hill state. He said, “Bijli ka bill zero ho aur Bijli se kamai bhi ho, iske liye Modi ne PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Ghar Yojana shuru ki hai, iske tahat chhat par solar panel lagaane liye sarkaar madat de rahi hai…”

Convergence in ecology and economy is exactly what the state, and the Tehri seat in particular, need. Though the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli would have takers across Uttarakhand, its prospects in Purola, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Ghansali, Tehri, Dhanaulti and Mussoorie — constituencies within the Tehri Garhwal seat appear multidimensional.

Figures that matter: overall in Uttarakhand, 55,78,516 Ayushman cards have been created with 122 public hospitals, 169 private hospitals and over all 291 hospitals empanelled.

As for infrastructure, the constituency seems to have braced up for PMJAY with 11 hospitals in Tehri Garhwal, six in Uttarkashi and 70 in Dehradun.   

According to the PMJAY website, in the districts falling in the Tehri Garhwal (constituency) are 3,02,880 Ayushman cards made in Tehri Garhwal (district).

The number of hospital admissions under PMJAY in Tehri Garhwal stands at 56,167, in Uttarkashi: 1,62,026 cards made with 31,843 hospital admissions made under PMJAY and in Dehradun (parts fall in Tehri Garhwal constituency and in Haridwar constituency) — 9,41,089 cards made with 2,59,756 hospital admissions under PMJAY.

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 1,18,125 households in Tehri Garhwal district have been provided with tap water connection since launch of the Mission — covering 99.73 per cent of the households.

In Uttarkashi, households with tap water connections as on date are 64,979. Households with tap water connections in Uttarakhand — overall — have reached 93.94 per cent coverage. 

The total number of connections under PMUY in Uttarakhand was 4,87,599 (as of July 2022).

During her campaign in Chilyanisaur-Dhanaulti Vidhan Sabha, Shah mentioned mobile connectivity and road connectivity ensured for the “antim chhor” of the constituency and the state. 

Naarishakti With ‘Rani And Modi’

Women beneficiaries can be seen as the most excited at rallies and campaigns. The last time this happened, BJP won the Uttarakhand assembly election in 2022. One reason emerging prominently in 2024 is the contribution of Self Help Groups (SHGs).

A voter from Vikasnagar who now supports the BJP joked lightly to this author that the ‘glow on my skin was owing to Modi’s policies’. What did she mean? “This is owing to the aloe vera gel we have made — thanks to the sahayata samooh. 

She further explained the transformation in her life brought by the policies of ‘Narendar’ Modi: 

“Earlier, I used to keep asking for help, now, I give. I took a loan of Rs 25,000 to begin my work in the Sahayata Samooh. I returned the added loans I took to increase my work and productivity. I eventually returned the sum of Rs 3 lakh to the samooh after my efforts saw success.”

She adds that her work is now spread across a samooh, a gram sangathan and a cluster named “Unnati”. “Whether we need Rs 500 or Rs 10,000,00, the samooh helps us,” she adds.

Sumitra Chauhan from Vikasnagar wholeheartedly praised women-empowering schemes from PM Modi as one of his top achievements and efforts.

“Women were suffering at the domestic front owing to the lack of cooking gas. They were spending their lives domesticated in the confines of homes. Their eyes would water while they cooked for their dear ones. PM Modi transformed their lives by providing them cooking gas.”

PM Modi’s “vishwas ki dor” with women voters is intact. So much so, they believe that he can do nothing wrong.

Veena Devi from Village Dandipur, Sabhawala, Vikasnagar: “Everything he has done is good. He has provided houses to the poor, has built latrines and bathrooms, is building roads. He has done so much to fight the issue of unemployment in the hills.”

Kamlesh Rathore, a home maker from Selakui said that Tehri Garhwal candidate Shah shares similar qualities in demeanour and work. “Unka sabke saath achcha vyavhaar hai. Karya bhi wo achcha karti hain.” 

The developmental transformation of Uttarakhand during the last 10 years is being seen by women as an extension of two emotions that drive the people of Uttarakhand — dharma, and a prospering border state for national integrity. 

The Dharma Bond, The Nepal Thread

Members of the erstwhile royal families are known as custodians of the Badrinath Mandir. Their role in rituals during the opening and closing of the doors of the temple is one of the reasons for the respect, attachment and affection the people of Uttarakhand, particularly, Tehri, have for them.

The dates of the opening and closing of the doors of the Badrinath are announced by the head of the family. He is known as ‘Bolanda Badri’. Shah is the feminine representative of a tradition associated with Sanatan custodianship, history and Uttarakhandi culture. 

The increased enthusiasm for Char Dham Yatra is being mentioned as a big plus point by voters this time. Yogesh Kambojh, a devotee at Tapkeshwar Mahadev Mandir also runs a shop at the market outside the temple.

He said that the biggest achievement of PM Modi is to unite the Hindu, the building of Ram Mandir, ensuring the strength of India as a nation and empowering India’s security forces and “nari shakti“.

He puts a local glimpse in perspective: “I have spent decades here at the Tapkeshwar Mahadev Mandir. During the previous decade, the number of devotees turning to the temple has gone up several times. All this is because of PM Modi’s efforts to galvanise the Hindu. Never have I seen the youth turning up for darshan in such great numbers as they do now.”  

Gurudutt, a voter in Garhi Cantt, mentioned that the interesting part in the Tehri Garhwal constituency has been that Shah acquires a safe lead from the people of Tehri (the city) itself.

“BJP’s vote doesn’t erode. She gets the lead of at least 2 lakh votes in Tehri itself due to several socio-cultural aspects. PM Modi’s good work adds up to the people’s support in Tehri, and the two districts.”

Pockets of the constituency that preserve Nepali tradition and sentiment lean towards Shah — “the daughter of Nepal”. Interestingly, many times Shah talks about Nepal, she shifts the centre of the Nepali sentiment from herself and attributes it to people. 

Next: The spiritual significance of Janakpur and the worship of Sita and Ram as the core of the religious and cultural ties that bind India have recurred in Shah’s interaction with the public and media.

With the media, she has been persuasive in discarding the narrative that PM Modi does not want good relations with Nepal. 

In 2024, voters would like to see Shah more proactive on infrastructure improvement that impacts daily lives, health, and education.

If Shah makes amends in these aspects, her focus on development of Uttarakhand, on promotion of tourism — a vital facet of the constituency’s economy, they won’t mind her reticence. 

This report is part of Swarajya’s 50 Ground Stories Project – an attempt to throw light on themes and topics that are often overlooked or looked down. You can support this initiative by sponsoring as little as ₹2999. Click here for more details.