Dehradun: For the first time in the history of Char Dham yatra, the number of pilgrims visiting Kedarnath has surpassed that of Badrinath this year. While 2,88,000 devotees have visited Kedarnath since its portals were opened on April 29, the footfall at Badrinath, which was opened a day later, was marginally lesser at 2,75,000.The development has come as a pleasant surprise for the ruling BJP which has been vigorously pushing for the development of the high-altitude shrine which can be reached only through an arduous 16-km trek. Figures indicate that more number of pilgrims visited Kedarnath even though Badrinath has a motorable road.Of the four places pilgrims visit as part of the Char Dham yatra, Kedarnath received the highest footfall of 2,88,000 till May 21. This is followed by Badrinath with 2,75,000 devotees, and Gangotri and Yamunotri with 1,64,000 each.Talking to TOI, Jitendra Singh, a chartered accountant from south Delhi, said, “This is my third trip to Kedarnath. The first two were in 2009 and 2012. This year’s experience has been the best by far. The presence of police and medical teams throughout the journey route made us feel safe. We had a good view of the temple even from a distance of 200 metres.”Dehradun resident Alok Negi, who is a regular to the shrine, reiterates Singh’s views. He said, “The facilities have improved a lot in the Kedar valley and on the trek route from Gaurikund. Be it the presence of doctors or disaster response teams, pilgrims now feel more safe.”Senior BJP leaders in the state have been quick to take credit for the increase in the number of devotees. Pointing to the large-scale development work in the region, chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said, “The rising number of pilgrims undertaking the difficult trek shows that their safety concerns have been mitigated to a large extent. We had over 4,00,000 pilgrims at Kedarnath last year and are confident that we will cross that number this month itself.”Meanwhile, Congress leaders in the state have claimed that the previous government was behind the major redevelopment works in the valley. Congress state chief Pritam Singh said, “The rise from 40,482 pilgrims in 2014 to 4,17,000 in 2017 clearly proves what the Congress government has done for the region. It is wrong for the BJP to take credit for what we have done.”

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