The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has retained the Kedarnath assembly seat in Uttarakhand, with its candidate Asha Nautiyal securing a decisive victory over Congress' Manoj Rawat by 5,622 votes.
Nautiyal, the state Mahila Morcha president, maintained an early lead throughout the counting process, marking her third win from the seat. She previously represented Kedarnath in the state assembly in 2002 and 2007.
Nautiyal polled 23,814 votes, while Manoj Rawat, who finished second, secured 18,192 votes. Independent candidate Tribhuvan Singh came in third with 9,311 votes, according to the Election Commission.
This victory marks the second consecutive loss for Congress in the Kedarnath seat. In the 2022 assembly elections, Rawat had finished third behind BJP's Shaila Rani Rawat and Independent candidate Kuldeep Singh Rawat.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat in July. The polling, held on November 20, saw a voter turnout of 57.64%.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hailed the result as a "huge victory" for the BJP, attributing it to the development work carried out in Kedarnath under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"It is a victory of development, our policies, and Sanatan," Dhami said, adding that the win was a response to those who had spread "lies" about the state government ahead of the bypoll.
Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt also expressed gratitude to the voters, stating, "The voters of Kedarnath have once again rejected the negative politics of the Congress. I thank them for placing their trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and the BJP."
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