Lok Sabha Elections And Assembly By-Elections Himachal: BJP Riding On The Waves Of Congress’ Storm In Himachal, Test Due To Assembly By-Election Being Held Along With Lok Sabha Elections
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur. - Photo: Diary Times Archives
Reported & Written By Kumud Sharma, Diary Times, Shimla, March 17: The waves of the storm in Himachal politics have not subsided. The effect of those waves will be visible in the Lok Sabha elections. BJP hopes to sail with the help of these waves. If the hiccups do not stop, it will be difficult for the Congress boat to get out of the whirlpool. Along with the Lok Sabha elections, the electoral atmosphere in Himachal has become interesting due to the by-elections being held in the areas of six Congress MLAs who were disqualified this time. This election will decide the direction not only of Congress and BJP but also of the Sukhu government of the state. After the Rajya Sabha elections, this will be another test for the government.
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Congress was hopeful that it would get the benefit of having its own government, it has been in power for only one and a half years, hence there would not be that much opposition to power. But just a few days before the elections, the rebellion of six party MLAs during the elections for a Rajya Sabha seat has changed the entire scenario and equation. BJP is fully determined to cause as much damage as possible to Congress with the help of these ineligible MLAs. In the last Lok Sabha elections, all four seats went to the BJP due to the Modi wave and the party government in the state.
Later, in the Mandi by-election, Congress Pratibha Singh won the seat due to sympathy and some resentment towards the state government. This time too, BJP not only has the support of Modi name at the helm, it is also hopeful that by winning all four seats, it will give its 100 percent in the party 400-plus mission. On one hand, Congress is still busy in damage control, on the other hand, BJP has also declared two sitting MPs as candidates whose victory it is confident of. They have taken the lead in the first phase by fielding Union Minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur and Suresh Kashyap from Shimla.
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There is churning regarding Mandi and an eye on the future of Congress rebels regarding Kangra. If no other strong candidate is found from Mandi, then Jairam Thakur is definitely there. There was also discussion about disqualified MLA and former minister Sudhir Sharma from Kangra, but now it has to be seen whether he contests the assembly by-elections or the Lok Sabha elections. However, OBC faces can also be considered. The challenge right now is to decide the candidate for Congress. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is engaged in damage control. The high command itself does not seem confident about the organization leader Pratibha Singh. Congress is scattered, the central leadership is not able to organize it completely. It is not that only Congress has a hole in its boat.
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There are many factions in BJP too but due to the strong central leadership and discipline, the party is standing in one line. Congress has not had any strong candidate in Hamirpur for the last several elections and this time also there is no one visible who can compete with Anurag Thakur. This is also a big question for the Congress because the assembly constituencies of both the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister are in this parliamentary constituency. The impact of the rebellion is maximum here. Pratibha name is being discussed from Mandi, she is a sitting MP. The impact of the rebellion is also going to be visible in Kangra and in Shimla it will be a challenge to field a candidate who can challenge sitting MP Suresh Kashyap. Congress has got time due to the last phase of voting.
To remove resentment within the party in Congress, Sukhu has shown readiness to adjust the people of the organization and the MLAs. The government has taken as many welfare decisions as it could, like giving Rs 1,500 per month to women, increasing the honorarium of School Management Committee teachers and computer teachers, bearing the increased electricity rates. Even after the budget. Along with counting the achievements of sixteen months, the government is capitalizing on the issue of facing the disaster boldly and successfully and not getting any help from the Centre.
The Congress party is also accusing the BJP and the Central Government of destabilizing the Himachal Government. Congress has issues like unemployment, disintegration of institutions at the central level. BJP will raise national issues like Article 370, Ram Mandir, and will also list the central projects and schemes received by Himachal. These include expansion of rail network, AIIMS, Triple IT and PGI Satellite Centre. The results of Lok Sabha as well as by-elections will write a new story in the state. If the results are in favor of Congress then Sukhu government will get strength, otherwise the government will face trouble. If the results are in favor of BJP, it will not only give it the strength to form the government at the Center but will also provide it the strength to corner the government in the state. If the results are not in favor of BJP then it will raise questions on the performance of the state leaders along with the central one.
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