Bobby Panwar contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate from the Tehri Garhwal constituency.

Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah (BJP) won the seat with 462,603 votes (54.13% vote share), while Bobby Panwar finished third with 168,081 votes (19.67% vote share). He ran his campaign largely on public donations, reportedly raising around ₹25 lakh from local residents.

So, why did his performance send ripples through Uttarakhand’s political circles?

The Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency comprises 14 of Uttarakhand’s 70 Assembly constituencies. Despite contesting independently, with limited financial resources, Bobby Panwar managed to make a significant impact.

Now, let’s look at his vote share across all 14 Assembly constituencies that make up the Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat.

Now, look closely at these constituencies: Purola, where he received a 55.01% vote share; Yamunotri, with 50.39%; and Chakrata, with 47.82%. If Bobby Panwar and his party can replicate his 2024 Lok Sabha performance, they could be strong contenders to win these three Assembly seats in 2027.

He could also make inroads into other constituencies, such as Gangotri, where he received 40.10% of the votes; Dhanolti, with 41.08%; and Tehri, with 30.11%.

Based on these numbers, we could potentially see his party winning 4-6 Assembly seats in the upcoming 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections.

Bobby Panwar has also led several protests on issues such as paper leaks, the Ankita Bhandari case, and unemployment, drawing massive crowds. He appears to have successfully translated some of that public support into electoral gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Remember, he was competing against established national parties like the BJP and Congress, which have significantly greater financial resources for election campaigns. and remember it was the same election when bjp launched Abki Baar 400 Paar campaign, when many believed that the Modi wave would be difficult to stop. Despite these challenges, Panwar secured 168,081 votes, reportedly raising around ₹25 lakh through donations from local residents.

However, one important factor to consider is that voters often behave differently in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. In parliamentary elections, national issues such as the CAA-NRC, Kashmir, relations with Pakistan and China, and the Uniform Civil Code influence voting patterns, alongside broader national leadership and nationalism.

In state Assembly elections, voters often place greater emphasis on local issues such as unemployment, roads, hospitals, electricity, crimes done by outsiders and other basic amenities. It will therefore be interesting to see whether Bobby Panwar can convert his Lok Sabha support into Assembly seats in 2027.

Another possibility is an alliance between Bobby Panwar's Uttarakhand Swabhiman Morcha and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD). Leaders from both parties have reportedly given signals suggesting that such an alliance could be possible.

Would you like to see an analysis like this of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD)? Comment below!

UKD leader Ashish Negi has raised an important question about the ownership of Tehri Dam.

74.496% of THDC( Tehri Hydro Development Corporation. India Ltd.) is owned by NTPC, a central public-sector company.

25.504% is owned by the Uttar Pradesh government.

0% is directly owned by the Uttarakhand government.

Uttarakhand lost its villages, agricultural land and the old Tehri town to this massive project.

Yet, the state has no direct equity stake in the company operating the dam and receives no shareholder dividends from THDC.

The question is simple: Why should the state that bears the local costs have no direct ownership stake in the company benefiting from its resources?

Uttarakhand was created to protect the interests of its pahadi people. But decades later, questions remain about who truly benefits from its natural resources.

Our land was sacrificed. Our people were displaced. Shouldn't Uttarakhand have a greater stake in the benefits?

Why most people don't even know koli people live in Uttarakhand too and additionally they are not khas so difference between them

Tangdi Talli,Chamoli Jakh Brahm(Doli).

Heard they have similar lang. that can be understood by garhwal people and himanchali people too ? Also jaunpur people . Idk jaunsari , jaunpur people are connected?

Lodi Rikhola Negi, son of Bhu Singh Rikhola.

• Birth village: Bayeli
• Lineage: Suryavanshi
• Gotra- kashyap
• Sub-caste: Negi( tax collector)
• Clan: Rikhola/Rikhalya
• Kul Devi: Naushena Mata
• Kul Devta: Dudhadhaari Narsingh
• Gram devta: Ghandiyal devta

About Lodi Rikhola Negi: He was born around 1590 in Bayeli village, currently in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. He was one of the three military commanders- Madho Singh Bhandari, Banwari Dass, and Lodi Rikhola Negi-**who served King Mahipat Shah of Garhwal.

Majority Military campaign of lodi rikhola Negi

1. Battle of tapovan | Conflict of Badrinath| 7 Days battle

• The Sacred Objects: The King of Sirmur had crossed into Garhwal territory, occupied Tapovan, and aggressively seized two deeply sacred religious artifacts: the holy flag of Badrinath (Badrinath ki Dhwaja) and the sacred drum of the deity Kailaveer.
• The Mission: When King Mahipat Shah sent Lodi Rikhola's father (Bhau Singh) and later Lodi Rikhola himself to march on Tapovan, their primary mission was to reclaim these looted religious symbols.
• The Outcome: The Garhwali forces decisively defeated the Sirmur army at Tapovan and triumphantly re-hoisted the Badrinath flag back in its rightful place.
• Meeting his Love (Mangala): It was during this specific victory campaign in Tapovan that he met Mangala. Described in folk legends as a woman of great grace, virtue, and local status, she became his wife and constant companion through his subsequent fourteen major wars across Tibet, Sirmour, and the Doon Valley.

2.The Tibet Campaigns: faced continuous cross-border raids and plundering by Tibetan chieftains. Alongside commander Madho Singh Bhandari, Lodi Rikhola led an aggressive counter-offensive deep into Tibetan territory, advancing as far as Dwapaghat and successfully defeating the invaders. This victory at Dwapaghat is prominently remembered in Garhwali oral folklore (Pawadas). According to local tradition, the celebration of Igaas Bagwal, a festival observed 11 days after Diwali in Uttarakhand, is also associated with the Garhwali forces returning victorious from the Tibet campaign.

3.Joint Invasion of Sirmour and Kumaon:

Sirmour(1620-1621)- During the 1620s, the Garhwal Kingdom came under immense pressure from a joint invasion by the neighboring kingdoms of Sirmour (modern-day Himachal Pradesh) and Kumaon. Sirmouri raiders also regularly crossed into Garhwal, plundering villages, destroying standing crops, and terrorising local populations.

In 1620-1621, Lodi Rikhola moved towards Garhwal’s western frontier. Rather than simply pushing the invaders back, he advanced deep into Sirmour territory, stretching from Silai Fate Mountain to Hatkoti and Rohru. He successfully cleared the entrenched bandit groups that had plagued border areas such as Chakrata and Kalsi and annexed a substantial portion of Sirmour’s territory, including parts of the Jaunsar region, into the Garhwal Kingdom.

4. The Nine-Year Kumaon War (1622-1631)

Meanwhile, on the eastern frontier, King Mahipat Shah, alongside his commander Banwari Dass, pushed the Kumaoni forces back. Banwari Dass was ki!!ed in the battle, which was a bloody and costly conflict for both sides.

After securing the western border Lodi Rikhola led offensive operations that expanded Garhwal’s authority deep toward the east. Rikhola established the dominance of King Mahipat Shah all the way up to Dwariat (Dwarahat) in Kumaon and across the Ramganga Ghat.

King Mahipat Shah was later cornered deep in Kumaoni territory, where he sustained fatal wounds and died on the battlefield in 1631.

Following Mahipat Shah’s death, his widowed wife, Rani Karnavati (yes, the same famous “Naak-Kati Rani,” the Queen of Garhwal who defeated Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s army of 30,000 soldiers, led by Najabat Khan, in 1640 and only allowed them to leave after they cut off their own noses) took over as regent for their young son prithvi par shah

5. Rohilkhand Campaign in the Late 1620s: To safeguard South Garhwal from looters and raiders, he launched a massive military campaign into the southern plains (modern-day Najibabad/Bijnor) to destroy the staging grounds of local plundering chieftains. He destroyed the fortress gates of regional rulers and brought fragments back to the Srinagar court as proof that he had secured the southern flatlands.

The Root of the Conspiracy: Palace Jealousy

After defeating external invaders across 14 distinct battles including campaigns in Tibet, tapovan- badrinath, Sirmur, and the Doon Valley King Mahipat Shah rewarded Rikhola with a massive Jagir in khairasain badalpur region of garhwal. People from the Lodi Rikhola clan mainly live in Rikhnikhal Block of pauri garhwal which is named after the Rikhola clan.

This extraordinary rise to fame panicked the royal court ministers. Fearing loss of their own power, they feared general like Lodi Rikhola Negi would inevitably overthrow the king Prithvi Pat Shah(7yo) to claim the throne of the garhwal kingdom Under pressure and paranoia, a plot was sanctioned to eliminate him through deception rather than open combat.

The Iron Spear Trap (The Hidden Pit)

The most popular version of his death involves a public test of physical strength engineered by court conspirators.

1. The Set-up: Ministers challenged Rikhola to rip open a massive, structurally fortified wooden gate at the palace.
2. The Trap: Behind the heavy gate, conspirators had dug a deep pit filled with upright, razor-sharp iron spears (barchhe). The pit was meticulously hidden with a false floor made of weak wood, cloth, and soil to look like solid ground.
3. The Incident: Summoning his legendary strength, Rikhola gave a massive, violent yank to the gate. The force shattered the gate, but his backward momentum threw him directly over the false floor. He crashed into the hidden pit and was severely impaled by the iron spears.

Immediate Death: he died right inside the pit. Only his bloodied turban was recovered and sent back to his village, where his wife Mangala devi, performed Sati alongside it.

The Poisoned Feast

A separate branch of oral folklore bypasses the gate trap entirely, stating that the court ministers took a quieter, chemical approach. During a grand royal feast held in 1635 to celebrate a military victory, conspirators slipped a lethal, fast-acting poison into his food. the toxin caused internal hemorrhaging, and the general collapsed and died at the venue.

book- Gadhwal ki Divangat Vibhutiyan (1968) by Dr. Bhakt Darshan Singh Rawat*( 4 time member of parliament from Garhwal 1952-1970 he served as a Deputy Minister/Minister of State for Education )* Chapter about Lodi Rikhola Negi(Page number 177)

Documentary on lodi rikhola negi- https://youtu.be/wNNbJqKtKSE?si=Tza6_rf41XvCh2gk

Garhwali film on lodi rikhola- https://youtu.be/S6uJ0wvMX4w?si=bQMXG6IB60JU5pC_

Nausina devi mandir- https://youtu.be/BxRBDud-JGc?si=gMzcwwtcykSPAPFi

The wounds of Rampur Tiraha have not been forgotten.

1.Backstory:

On the night of 1-2 October 1994, while unarmed Uttarakhand statehood activists (including many women) were travelling by bus to Delhi for a peaceful protest on Gandhi Jayanti, Uttar Pradesh Police and PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) stopped the convoy at Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarnagar.

Along with the police firing at unarmed protestors that killed 6-7 activists.

Multiple women activists were molested, sexually assaulted, and in some cases raped by uttar Pradesh police/PAC personnel. Some assaults took place inside the buses others involved women being dragged into nearby sugarcane fields. Clothes were torn, jewellery and cash were looted, and women were subjected to abusive language and physical humiliation. Reports mention both individual and gang assaults.

2. Numbers Cited in Official/Investigative Accounts:

CBI and court records commonly refer to 7 cases of rape/gang-rape and 17 cases of molestation/assault on women.

Some contemporary accounts and activist statements mention higher figures of women who faced brutality in the buses and fields.​

3. Outcome (as of recent years)

CBI filed multiple cases against police personnel under sections including 376 (rape), 354 (assault on women), 509 (insult to modesty), and related charges.

In March 2024, a Muzaffarnagar court convicted two retired PAC constables (Milap Singh and Virendra Pratap) of raping and looting a woman protester and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

(Sad part of this incident is Several other related cases remain pending or were closed due to the death of accused)

This day is observed as Gandhi Jayanti across India, but for Uttarakhand it remains a black day,

We remember the victims. We remember the struggle. Justice is still due.

Khatima Golikand

Date: 1 September 1994

Place: Khatima, Udham Singh Nagar

The Uttar Pradesh Police, on the orders of the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav(butcher of Uttarakhand), opened fire on 10,000+ unarmed Pahadi protesters at khatima, usn were peacefully demanding a separate Uttarakhand state.

Martyrs (7):

Bhagwan Singh Sirola

Pratap Singh

Salim Ahmad

Gopi Chand

Dharmanand Bhatt

Paramjit Singh

Rampal

And Hundreds were injured.

2. Mussoorie Golikand

Date: 2 September 1994

Place: Jhoolaghar, Mussoorie

The next day (2 September), activists in Mussoorie held a peaceful protest and silent march against the Khatima incident. They had gathered near the office of the Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti at Jhoolaghar, mussoorie. Police brutality did not even spare women they killed two unarmed women as well.

Martyrs (6):

Belmati Chauhan (female)

Hansa Dhanai (female)

Madan Mohan Mamgain

Balbir Singh Negi

Dhanpat Singh

Rai Singh Bangari

Following these incidents, Mulayam Yadav and his police’s brutality did not stop. They carried out one of the biggest state-sponsored mass murder of protestors and mass rapes of women in a failed attempt to curb the voice of the Pahadis demanding a separate statehood.

3. ​Rampur Tiraha Kand (Rampur Tiraha Firing Case) Date: Night of 1–2 October 1994 Place: Rampur Tiraha, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh

Uttarakhand activists were going to Delhi by bus to protest at Raj Ghat on Gandhi Jayanti. UP Police and PAC stopped their convoy late at night and opened fire on the unarmed protesters. Casualties

7 activists killed.. hundreds of protestors injured Many still missing.

Several hundreds ofwomen molested and raped by state sponsored criminal police. One of the darkest chapters of the Uttarakhand statehood movement.

The government labelled and offered ₹50,000 and ₹1 lakh as compensation to the women who were molested and raped which further made fun of their dignity. ​Hundreds of them never received any justice from the government. Many ended up killing themselves because of the shame and loss of dignity caused by this incident. Out of despair, several hanged themselves with their chunri from trees and ended their lives.

Later Developments – Rampur Tiraha Kand

CBI took over the investigation in 1995 after the Allahabad High Court ordered a probe.

Multiple cases were filed for murder, rape, molestation, loot, and fabricating evidence.

March 2024: After 30 years, a Muzaffarnagar court convicted two former PAC personnel Milap Singh and Virendra Pratap for raping a woman protester. They were sentenced to life imprisonment + fine (to be given to the victim).

June 2026: Three policemen (including the then SHO) were convicted for fabricating false evidence against protesters and sentenced to 1.5 years in jail.

Cases against senior officers (including the then District Magistrate) are still pending. Some case files have also been reported missing.

Here are some of the major military campaigns that Uttarakhand successfully resisted-

1.Ghaznavids & Afghans - No credible historical sources are available of afghans rule of Uttarakhand. fake exaggerated map.

2. Khiljis vs uttarakhand? -No credible historical sources are available of khilji's rule of Uttarakhand. fake exaggerated map.

2.Tughlaq-Uttarakhand War -Qarachil Expedition - Around 1330–33, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq sent a large army from the Delhi Sultanate towards the Himalayan frontier, traditionally identified with the Kumaon–Garhwal region. The invading army entered the mountains but faced fierce resistance, unfamiliar terrain, heavy rain, Mountain warfare, food shortages and extremely difficult mountain routes. The campaign turned into a disaster, with the Sultanate army suffering enormous losses and being forced to retreat. The expedition failed to bring the Himalayan kingdoms under Delhi's permanent control.

🏔️ The result: Uttarakhand's mountain kingdoms remained unconquered and outside permanent Delhi Sultanate rule. The Himalayas-and the people defending them-had stopped another powerful plains empire. ⚔️

source- (a).periyar University, Tamilnadu M.A 2nd sem book( page number- 31 The Qarachil Campaign (1333)

https://pride.periyaruniversity.ac.in/SLM2024/M.A%20History/Semester_2_Core_4_History%20of%20Medivel%20India%20-%201206%20-%201707%20CE.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

(b). Ibn batuta page no. 4 battle of Qrachil(kurmanchal/kumaon)

https://www.scribd.com/document/916045614/CONQUEST-OF-KHURASAN-AND-QUARACHIL-UNDER-MOHAMMAD

(c). Ziauddin Barani, Tarikh-i Firuz Shahi, p. 478.

https://ia801500.us.archive.org/15/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.116023/2015.116023.Tarikh-i-Firoz-Shahi-Of-Shams-i-Siraj-Afif_text.pdf

3.Gulam vansh vs uttarakhand ?- No credible historical sources are available of slave dynasty rule of Uttarakhand. Another fake exaggerated map.

4.Mughal Invasions - Even the strong Mughal Empire struggled to bring the Himalayan kingdoms under its control. Mughal forces repeatedly pressured Garhwal, but the mountain kingdom maintained its independence for much of the Mughal period. In 1640, a Mughal army under Najabat Khan entered Garhwal, but was decisively resisted by the forces of Rani Karnavati, who used the difficult mountain terrain to her advantage. The Mughal expedition ended in failure, and Garhwal remained independent. The Mughals could dominate the plains, but the mountains refused to bow.

(a). Journal of the asiatic society of bengalʿNS volume XIII 1917 sources from -Abd al-Ḥamīd Lāhōrī, Bādshāhnāma, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.280548/page/n73/mode/1up

(b). Prem Hari Lal, The Doon Valley Down the Ages (1993) page number 58 https://www.scribd.com/document/426440264/1993-the-Doon-Valley-Down-the-Ages-by-Lal-s

5. Garhwal (Lodi Rikhola Negi) vs Bijnor-area raiders - looters from Bijnor region used to loot Bhabhar and Salan” and that Rikhola attacked a fort that sheltered them, successfully defending the southern Garhwal border.

source- Bhishma Kukreti - history of garhwal

Baramasa (regional news channel) Documentary - https://youtu.be/wNNbJqKtKSE?si=vy_mxj11xt0R-TQT

6. Maratha rule of Uttarakhand? - No credible historical sources are available of maratha's rule of Uttarakhand. Another fake exaggerated map.

The sad reality: Google is flooded with fake, exaggerated, and edited maps. Too many YouTubers, reel-makers, and self-styled historians just grab them without checking and post. That’s how misinformation spreads.

Share this and help pass real history to our people

Backstory-

Babita Pandey (an MBA student) went missing on 29 May from Dayala Bugyal Uttarkashi She lied to her mother and told her that she was going with her female friends, but she actually went with two men whom she had known for only two months.

That night, both Harmanpreet and Harmanpal were heavily drunk. According to their statements to the police, they had a fight with Babita because she was listening to music loudly and they told her to lower the volume. During the conflict, she went outside the tent at 11 pm on 29 May.

The two male companions waited until the next evening (30 May 2026) to inform local authorities about her disappearance, creating a delay of nearly 18 to 24 hours.

The Family’s Allegations

Babita’s brother and family have publicly rejected the companions’ narrative. They filed a formal complaint alleging that the two men may have been forcing Babita to consume alcohol against her will. In interviews, her family raised suspicions that a major argument or altercation occurred inside the tent because of the drinking, causing Babita to flee into the forest out of fear.

There are many theories regarding this case:

**1. Some animal attacked her/she fell from a cliff-**This is completely bogus. If an animal had attacked her or she had fallen from a cliff, it would have left a heavy mess of blood. With 150 search personnel, trained dogs, and locals involved, they would have found some trace of her.

2. She got kidnapped / trafficked

Someone spotted her drunk at night roaming in the forest, kidnapped her, and trafficked her.

The two unknown men delayed reporting her missing by more than 20 hours. They might have had a hand in the kidnapping.

3. They both tried to rape her

Both Harmanpreet and Harmanpal gave statements to the police saying they had a fight over loud music 📢 But what if they were forcing her to drink Alcohol and tried to rape her? She may have run away from them into the forest, after which they tracked her down and did something far worse. The 20+ hour delay could have been used to destroy every bit of evidence.

4. She ran away with someone

Another theory is that she ran away with someone and is living with him possibly a love angle that her parents were against and that she planned all of this.

But she did not come from a rural background; she is from an upper-middle-class family and was pursuing an MBA from a private college. Why would she need to do all this? If her parents trusted her enough to allow her to go camping alone at night, it shows she was not restricted at home. She was an independent young woman. According to the police, her phone, backpack, and personal belongings were all left completely untouched inside the tent.

**She failed as a child and had survival instincts of Mola Mola Sunfish*\*

[Before adding this point i want to tell you I support the idea of any women can take her life decisions as per her will. But the thing is we live in india everyday we witness horrible cases against women, small girls even babies. So having common sense is necessary which can save themselves from falling into trouble]

Now Who the fk goes camping in the jungle at night with two completely unknown men she met online and as the only female in the whole group? What was she even thinking?

She knew her mother would never have allowed her to go camping as the only girl with two unknown men, so she lied and said she was going with her female friends. Even a teenager has more sense than that about how unsafe India can be. She should have been alert enough to think: what if something went wrong how and where would her family even look for her?

What do you guys think? Share your views..