As political tensions escalate over an alleged “ shuddhikaran havan ” (purification ritual) held at Ramlila Maidan in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani following a rally by Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, both the ruling BJP and the Congress have intensified their outreach to the Scheduled Caste (SC) groups in the run-up to the state Assembly elections slated for February 2027.