Amit Shah seeks a BJP 'hat-trick' in Uttarakhand, targets 65 of 70 seats

The Voice of Uttarakhand should reach Rahul Gandhi, Shah says in Dehradun.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday urged BJP workers to conduct door-to-door outreach in Uttarakhand to ensure the party scores a "hat-trick" in the state by winning 65 of the 70 assembly seats in polls next year.

"Uttarakhand will be the first milestone in the (country's) journey towards a developed India," Shah said at an event organised here to mark the state's 26th Foundation Day. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 62 development projects, totalling Rs 1,475.31 crore.

He dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "vote bachao" campaign as a "ghuspathiya bachao" rally, and called for the removal of "infiltrators" from the electoral rolls and the country.

"The BJP aims to make Uttarakhand a secure and prosperous state, and to transform the 'Devbhoomi' into the cultural capital of the country," Shah said. "When the Congress comes to power, they advocate for a Muslim university."

Highlighting that the party won 57 seats in 2017 and 47 in 2022, he called on the party workers to achieve the target of "crossing 65 seats" this time. The "voice of Uttarakhand" should reach Rahul Gandhi, he said. "Rahul ji, your attempts at tourism in the state will not help, as thousands of BJP workers are continuously working to solve problems of locals across the state."

He further claimed the tourism sector in Uttarakhand has witnessed a 380 percent growth. He said the government is turning focus to move Uttarakhand from a "money-order economy" to an "industrial economy".

Referring to the 2016 surgical strikes, 2019 airstrikes, and 2025 Operation Sindoor, Shah stated that the Modi government has strengthened the security at borders. He also highlighted development projects worth Rs 270 crore being implemented in 51 border villages under the 'Vibrant Village' programme. "We have also worked to ensure that migration stops," Shah said.

Dhami, who addressed the rally before Shah, said "some individuals" question EVMs and the electoral process when they lose an election. The people of the state will no longer be tricked by the Congress party's misleading narratives, he said. Dhami also questioned the Congress party over "insult" to NSA Ajit Doval, who is from Uttarakhand.

He was referring to Rahul Gandhi's remarks before INDIA bloc's anti-CEC rally that PM Modi, Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, CEC Gyanesh Kumar and NSA Ajit Doval are "villains of this story".

Dhami also asked why Congress leaders were not speaking against their ally and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who allegedly characterised the people of Uttarakhand as "infiltrators". The CM further claimed his government has sent over 100 members of the "exam-cheating mafia" to jail and has provided government jobs to more than 35,000 youths, with exams conducted without any instance of cheating or corruption.