Dehradun, Mar 16 (PTI) The BJP is looking to score another straight win against the Congress in Uttarakhand in the Lok Sabha polls. What are its chances of making a hat trick? A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of the two sides.

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BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY

Strengths

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* Well entrenched in the state, won all five Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and 2019; routed the Congress also in 2017 and 2022 assembly polls * Strong organisational base, methodical mobilisation of the cadre

* PM Modi's trips to the state and his personal identification with projects like developing Badrinath help the party

Weakness

* Some segments of voters will be looking for a change after several years of the party being at the helm.

Opportunities

* The state became the first in the country since Independence to bring a Uniform Civil Code, and will use it as a major election plank

* A BJP win will help Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami strengthen his position in the party

* Ambitious projects like the Char Dham all-weather road will be important part of the BJP campaign

Threats

* Unemployment and crime against women are issues that could affect the party's poll prospects.

* The Ankita Bhandari murder case in which the son of a former BJP leader is the main accused could turn into a poll issue

CONGRESS

Strength

* Despite its failure to win any Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019, the Congress holds a clutch of assembly segments in key parliamentary constituencies like Haridwar and Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar

Weakness

* The party is faction-ridden in the state, with ambitious regional leaders at loggerheads with each other

Opportunity

* The Congress will raise the issues of law and order, unemployment and migration to the plains

Threat

* The party faces marginalisation if it fails to win a single Lok Sabha seat the third time in a row. This could affect its performance in the next assembly polls as well.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)