It's a contest between two Tamtas in Uttarakhand's Almora

The contest for Uttarakhand's Almora seat, one of the five in the state going to polls Thursday, will be a battle between two Tamtas, one from the BJP the other from opposition Congress.

BJP's Ajay Tamta, a sitting MP and Union Minister of State for Textiles, and Congress' Pradeep Tamta, a Rajya Sabha member, are in the fray for the Almora Lok Sabha constituency, the only reserved seat in the state.

While the BJP nominee has cited improved rail, road and air connectivity as his achievements in the last five years, the Congress candidate has talked of the failures of the Modi government in shaping a Himalayan policy.

"Had the Modi government implemented the V K Chaturvedi Report on Himalayan development, the funds to spend on infrastructure projects of the state would have poured," Pradeep Tamta said.

Ajay Tamta, on the other hand, has said that historic works has been done for development of the constituency during his tenure.

"It was during my tenure that the broad gauge rail line was gifted to the people of Pithoragarh and Champawat districts from Tanakpur," he said, adding that the Pithoragarh airport was linked with the UDAN scheme due to his efforts.

Voters and poll-watchers said they are keeping a close watch on the poll, but didn't give a clear favourite.

"Ajay Tamta has been in constant touch with local voters in the last five years, but Pradeep, already a sitting Rajya Sabha member, has not been that commonly seen," said Chanshekher Dwivedi, a resident of Bageswar.

Rama Devi, who hails from Kharkot village and attended rallies of both the parties in Pithoragarh, said, "We are watching every move."