Kedarnath, Nov 23 (IANS): BJP candidate and Uttarakhand Mahila Morcha President Asha Nautiyal won the Kedarnath Assembly seat on Saturday, defeating the Congress' Manoj Rawat.

Nautiyal, who had previously represented the seat in 2002 and 2007, maintained an early lead throughout the 17 rounds of vote counting, securing a return to the seat after 12 years.

She garnered 23,814 votes, defeating Rawat by a margin of 5,622 votes, further solidifying the BJP's dominance in the hill state.

Independent candidate Tribhuwan Singh, who was maintaining the second position in early trends, and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal's Ashutosh Bhandari finished in third and fourth positions respectively, according to the Election Commission.

This marks the second consecutive loss for Congress in the Kedarnath seat. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Rawat had lost to BJP's Shaila Rani Rawat and finished third, behind Independent candidate Kuldeep Singh Rawat, who secured second place.

The Kedarnath constituency became vacant following the passing of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat, prompting the bye-election on November 20.

After the announcement of the win, BJP state President Mahendra Bhatt expressed his gratitude to the people of Kedarnath for their support.

"I thank the people of Kedarnath for their overwhelming support, which led to the BJP's victory in this Assembly seat with a decisive majority," Bhatt said.

"The trust shown by the people of Kedarnath in our Prime Minister, our Chief Minister, and the BJP organisation is remarkable. I am confident that in future elections in Uttarakhand, the BJP will continue to win in the same manner. Once again, I thank everyone," he added.

The victory in Kedarnath came as a much-needed boost for the BJP after recent setbacks in the bypolls for the Badrinath and Manglaur Assembly constituencies, where Congress secured wins.

The Congress had hoped to continue its momentum and capture the Kedarnath seat as well, however, Nautiyal's victory came as a setback for the party.