Elections in Uttarakhand

Elections for the

The Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress have been the most popular parties in the state since its inception. Other influential parties include, Bahujan Samaj Party, Aam Aadmi Party and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal. Samajwadi Party was also an influential party in the state but has now declined.

Keys:   BJP (18)   INC (6)   SP (1)

Keys:   BJP (189)   INC (119)   BSP (20)   UKD/UKD(P) (8)   NCP (1)   Independent (13)

2002 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly elections were the first Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) elections held in the state. The

2007 Uttarakhand state assembly elections were the second Vidhan Sabha elections held in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest party with 35 seats in the 70-seat legislature. One seat short of forming a majority, the BJP had to rely on the support of the

2012 Uttarakhand state assembly elections were the third Vidhan Sabha elections held in the state. Uttarakhand had turned out incumbent governments in the first two elections held in the state since its formation. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party fought the election under the leadership of its Chief Minister B. C. Khanduri. The main opposition Indian National Congress was led in the assembly by Harak Singh Rawat, but no chief ministerial candidate was named before the elections. The interim tenure of former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, which was marked by large-scale corruption accusations, was likely to be the main election issue.

The elections took place on 30 January, with the results being announced on 6 March. In a closely contested election, the Indian National Congress emerged as the single largest party with 32 seats followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party with 31 seats. Notably the incumbent Chief minister B. C. Khanduri lost from his seat.

Later, Harish Rawat took over as the chief minister in 2014. He was elected from a bypoll in Dharchula Assembly constituency. In 2016, a brief period of President's rule was imposed in the state after 9 Congress mla's including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and former minister Harak Singh Rawat, switched over to the BJP. Ultimately, Harish Rawat managed to hold on to his government.

2017 Uttarakhand state assembly elections were the fourth Vidhan Sabha elections held in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party riding on the popularity^{[citation needed]} of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, secured a record landslide victory, winning 57 of the total 70 seats. The ruling Indian National Congress was reduced to a record low of 11 seats, with the incumbent Chief Minister Harish Rawat himself losing from both the seats that he had contested from. Although the BJP had not projected anyone as its chief ministerial candidate, Trivendra Singh Rawat was chosen as the new Chief Minister after the elections. In 2021, Tirath Singh Rawat briefly became the Chief Minister, followed by Pushkar Singh Dhami.

2022 Uttarakhand state assembly elections were the fifth Vidhan Sabha elections held in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party, despite its tally of seats shrinking significantly, secured a landslide victory, winning 47 of the total 70 seats. It was the first time in the history of Uttarakhand when the ruling party came back to power in the state winning back-to-back assembly elections, although the incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lost his seat. The main opposition Indian National Congress bagged 19 seats, with their party leader Harish Rawat also losing from his seat once again. Dhami was later elected from a bypoll in Champawat and was re-elected as the chief minister.

Local body elections are held every 5 years, each for the urban bodies and the rural bodies. Independent candidates have been dominant in these elections while the BJP performs well in the urban local bodies. Congress is also a major party in these elections. The latest local body election was held in January 2025.

• Local elections in Uttarakhand
• List of by-elections to the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly

• "Vidhan Sabha Election Results". ceo.uk.gov.in. Chief Electoral Officer , Government Of Uttarakhand, India. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
• http://eci.gov.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/AE2012/Statistical_Report_UKT2012.pdf
• parliamentary Lok Sabha elections 2014 in uttarakhand