Uttarakhand Lok Sabha elections 2024: Key constituencies and candidates in Phase 1

Anil Baluni (L) and Trivendra Singh Rawat are BJP's candidates from Garhwal and Haridwar respectively.

All five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand go to polls on April 19 - the first phase of the elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by emerging victorious on all the constituencies - Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora, Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar and Haridwar.

In 2019, Uttarakhand recorded a voter turnout of 61.50%, a slight dip from 2014 Lok Sabha elections at 62.05%. The Uniform Civil Code came into effect in the hill state in March 2024, which makes it a closely watched election.

These are the key Uttarakhand Lok Sabha constituencies which will vote on April 19:

• Haridwar: Since 2014, the BJP has been in power in Haridwar, a constituency which was once represented by former Uttarakhand chief minsiter Harish Rawat. Haridwar Lok Sabha constituency was reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) between 1977 and 2009. Former minister of education and the 5th chief minister of Uttarakhand Ramesh Pokhriyal defeated Congress candidate Ambrish Kumar in 2019 with a vote margin of over 2,58,000 votes. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well, Pokhriya had emerged victorious from the seat. For the upcoming elections, BJP has fielded Trivendra Singh Rawat from Haridwar. He served as the 8th chief minister of Uttarakhand from 18 March, 2017 to 10 March, 2021. Trivendra Rawat is pitted against Congress' Virender Rawat, son of Harish Rawat.
• Garhwal: Established in 1957, Garhwal covering 5 districts of Chamoli, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Nainital (part) and Tehri Garhwal (part) votes on April 19 along with the other constituencies. Popular for sacred shrines like Badrinath and Kedarnath, this constituency is currently represented by BJP's Tirath Singh Rawat. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP's Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri defeated Congress candidate Harak Singh Rawat with a margin of over 1,84,000 votes. The saffron party has fielded Anil Baluni against Congress' Ganesh Godiyal. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Garhwal recorded 55% voter turnout.
• Almora: A key constituency in Uttarakhand, Almora is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) since 2009. The Lok Sabha constituency comprises four districts - Bageshwar, Champawat, Almora and Pithoragarh. Almora was a Congress stronghold since 1952 when the constituency came into existence. However, the BJP snatched the seat from the grand old party in 1996 and has managed to retain Almora ever since except in 2009. BJP's Ajay Tamta emerged victorious from Almora in the 2014 & 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Ajay Tamta is eyeing his third straight win from the seat. The Congress has Pradeep Tamta, who lost the previous two elections to Ajay Tamta.