Uttarakhand election: BJP wary of Muslim vote in 23 Assembly seats

Without a wave like the one it rode in 2014, the BJP is uneasy about its prospects in Uttarakhand, particularly in constituencies with a large Muslim population, ahead of the Assembly election due early next year.

Where the minority vote matters

Muslims make up 14% of Uttarakhand’s population. Their share climbs to between 15% and more than 50% in 23 of the state’s 70 Assembly constituencies. These seats are spread over four districts, with 10 in Haridwar, 8 in Udhamsingh Nagar, 3 in Dehradun and 2 in Nainital.

In the 2012 Assembly election the BJP took 10 of those 23 seats, while the Congress won 10 and the Bahujan Samaj Party 3. The party did much better there in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when its tally across these segments was 19 against just 4 for the Congress.

The party’s worries

The BJP is contesting without naming a chief ministerial candidate and is leaning heavily on what it presents as the Modi government’s record. Four former chief ministers are in its ranks, and about as many leaders who hope to get the top job, a situation party strategists fear could backfire.

Their concern is that, unlike in 2014, non-Muslim voters may not come together behind the party, while the minority community could unite against it. Uttarakhand elections have traditionally been decided by very narrow margins. “Every vote counts. We have taken note of the minority factor and our strategy will be formulated accordingly,” said a BJP leader involved in the state’s affairs.

What happened next

The BJP won the 2017 Uttarakhand Assembly election with 57 seats to the Congress’s 11, and Trivendra Singh Rawat became Chief Minister.

See also: Bharatiya Janata Party | Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha members

Originally published on 19 December 2016. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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