New Delhi, April 9 (IANS): Anil Baluni, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency in Uttarakhand took time out of his busy campaigning schedule for the 2024 elections and offered prayers at Maa Garjiya Devi temple, on the first day of Navratri.

He prayed for the well-being of all the devotees and also sought the Goddess’ blessings for continuing his service to Ma Bharati as a ‘committed soldier’.

Baluni also met some flower vendors, whose shops were affected by blaze yesterday. He took stock of the situation, assured them of all possible assistance and also told them that the Chief Minister has taken cognizance of the matter.

Anil Baluni, after his foray into Lok Sabha elections, has been canvassing for public support from various stages. He has been organising door-to-door campaigns besides multiple reach-out programs to garner people’s support. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami also accompanied him on a couple of occasions and sought support for him in the ensuing elections.

Anil Baluni, the national Chief Spokesperson of BJP, in his earlier stint, served as Rajya Sabha MP from 2018-2024.

In the Garhwal Lok Sabha seat, Anil Baluni is pitted against Congress Ganesh Godiyal. The LS seat remains a stronghold for the saffron party as it has won the seat six out of seven times in the past.

In the 2019 elections, BJP won the Pauri Garhwal seat with a massive vote share of 68 per cent. BJP’s Tirath Singh Rawat emerged victorious from this seat with an impressive margin of more than 3 lakh votes.

The LS constituency is dominated by Thakurs, comprising about 45 per cent of the electorate. Brahmins account for about 30 per cent while Dalits constitute about 18 per cent of the population.