The BJP is looking to score another straight win against the Congress in Uttarakhand in the Lok Sabha polls. What are its chances of making a hat trick? A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of the two sides.
Bharatiya Janata Party
Strengths
Well entrenched in the state, won all five Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and 2019; routed the Congress also in 2017 and 2022 assembly polls * Strong organisational base, methodical mobilisation of the cadre * PM Modi’s trips to the state and his personal identification with projects like developing Badrinath help the party
Weakness
Some segments of voters will be looking for a change after several years of the party being at the helm.
Opportunities
The state became the first in the country since Independence to bring a Uniform Civil Code, and will use it as a major election plank * A BJP win will help Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami strengthen his position in the party * Ambitious projects like the Char Dham all-weather road will be important part of the BJP campaign
Threats
* Unemployment and crime against women are issues that could affect the party's poll prospects.
* The Ankita Bhandari murder case in which the son of a former BJP leader is the main accused could turn into a poll issue
Congress
Strength
* Despite its failure to win any Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019, the Congress holds a clutch of assembly segments in key parliamentary constituencies like Haridwar and Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar
Weakness
* The party is faction-ridden in the state, with ambitious regional leaders at loggerheads with each other
Opportunity
* The Congress will raise the issues of law and order, unemployment and migration to the plains
Threat
* The party faces marginalisation if it fails to win a single Lok Sabha seat the third time in a row. This could affect its performance in the next assembly polls as well.
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