Jobs & tourism to selfies & Ganga aarti: With message of hope, Baluni hits the campaign trail

THE narrow lanes of Pauri Garhwal are far away from his office in the BJP headquarters on Delhi’s Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg as the party’s national media head but Anil Baluni says that’s hardly a distance.

“I bring the message of hope,” he says, “I see that hope reflected in the eyes of everyone. That a victory here is a victory for local and regional development and is also a significant part of the national effort to ensure a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

With religious sites like Kedarnath and Badrinath, landmarks such as Jim Corbett National Park, and areas impacted by critical issues like Joshimath under its jurisdiction, the importance of Uttarakhand’s Garhwal defines the campaign of Baluni, who is fighting his first Lok Sabha polls from the constituency. Elections here are on April 19.

At 9 am on a Sunday, after a traditional breakfast, he sets off on the campaign trail — in a white kurta-pyjama, a blue jacket, a saffron scarf featuring the lotus, and canvas shoes.

The day’s itinerary entails a visit to the Ghantakarna Devta temple in the morning and a Ganga aarti at Devprayag Sangam in the evening. Additionally, his campaign team has identified 18 stops, including numerous public gatherings and “nukkad sabhas” (street corner meetings).

“Campaign in the hills is very  different. Villages here are in the interiors. The people love us, which is why they came to the roads. We share our greetings and move to the next destination. We do this at 25-30 spots in a day on average. The plan is to cover around 300 km every day,” Baluni tells The Indian Express as his cavalcade makes a brief halt.

He gets down from his vehicle and greets a group of women holding BJP flags and raising slogans of “Aa gayi Bhajapa,