Buzz of early U’khand elections as 2027 Kumbh may overlap with normal poll dates

Dehradun: The 2007 Kumbh in Haridwar and a flurry of high-level political activities in Uttarakhand have triggered the speculation that assembly polls, originally expected in early 2027, might be advanced to late 2026.

BJP national chief Nitin Nabin has made back-to-back trips to Uttarakhand and Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja will be visiting the Himalayan state on June 17, her third visit in a span of slightly over a month. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, too, had recently arrived at Pantnagar for a two day visit to both Kumaon and Garhwal, but his trip had to be curtailed due to bad weather conditions.The sudden sense of urgency is visible on the ground, as the state’s election machinery has fast-tracked its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with booth level officers (BLOs) currently undertaking a rigorous door-to-door survey that runs from June 8 to July 7.

The final, updated electoral rolls are slated for publication on Sept 15.Political analysts are of the opinion that the Election Commission of India (ECI) may look to hold the polls as early as late Nov or the first half of Dec. A major factor behind this speculation is a scheduling conflict with the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, set to draw crores of pilgrims to Har-Ki-Pauri in the early months of 2027, overlapping with the time the elections would normally be due.

“Conducting high-stakes assembly elections in high-altitude areas becomes nearly impossible after mid-Dec due to heavy snowfall. With a battery of senior leaders finalizing strategies with grassroots workers right now, there is a strong possibility that polls will be wrapped up before December 15,” said political analyst Udit Ghildiyal.BJP and Congress have shifted into full campaign mode. Following directives from Nabin, the ruling BJP has accelerated structural operations.

State media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan revealed that the party is focusing on booths lost during the 2022 elections. Senior party leaders, including former chief ministers and MPs, have been assigned to micromanage the 23 constituencies won by the opposition in the last state polls.

Also, the state party unit has enforced a mandatory schedule of monthly district-level and weekly mandal-level meetings to keep local cadres election-ready.Meanwhile, the opposition remains unfazed. State chief spokesperson of Congress Garima Dasauni emphasised that the decision rests solely with the ECI, but asserted that Congress is prepared for any scenario. “ BJP is anxious about electoral arithmetic because they know the people will demand accountability,” Dasauni said. She added that the electorate remains focused on critical issues such as unemployment, inflation, women’s safety, recruitment scams, and corruption.