Politics

Shah Urges BJP to Secure 65 of 70 Seats in Uttarakhand Elections

By Express News Service

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday urged BJP workers to conduct door‑to‑door outreach in Uttarakhand to secure a “hat‑trick” in the state by winning 65 of the 70 assembly seats in the next year’s polls. Speaking at an event marking the state’s 26th Foundation Day, Shah said Uttarakhand would be the first milestone on India’s path to development. He inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 62 development projects worth Rs 1,475.31 crore. Shah dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “vote bachao” campaign as a “ghuspathiya bachao” rally and called for the removal of “infiltrators” from electoral rolls and the country. He said the BJP aims to make Uttarakhand a secure and prosperous state and transform the “Devbhoomi” into the country’s cultural capital. Shah noted the BJP won 57 seats in 2017 and 47 in 2022, and urged workers to cross the 65‑seat target this time. He criticised Gandhi’s tourism efforts, claiming the sector has grown 380 percent, and said the government is shifting focus from a “money‑order economy” to an industrial economy. Referring to 2016 surgical strikes, 2019 airstrikes and the 2025 Operation Sindoor, Shah said the Modi government has strengthened border security and highlighted a Rs 270 crore development programme in 51 border villages under ‘Vibrant Village’. He added that migration has been stopped. Prior to Shah’s remarks, CM Dhami addressed the rally, saying some people question EVMs and the electoral process when they lose an election. Dhami said the state’s people would no longer be misled by the Congress narrative and questioned Congress over remarks by Rahul Gandhi that Modi, Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, CEC Gyanesh Kumar and NSA Ajit Doval were “villains of this story”. He also asked why Congress leaders were not speaking against their ally and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who allegedly called Uttarakhand residents “infiltrators”. Dhami claimed his government has sent over 100 members of an “exam‑cheating mafia” to jail and has provided government jobs to more than 35,000 youths, with exams conducted without cheating or corruption.