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Congress trumps BJP 2-1 in Himachal bypoll battle
Congress back in comfortable position with 40 MLAs, the same number it had after the 2022 Himachal assembly polls
{Himachal assembly}
The Congress strengthened its position in the state assembly, winning two of three seats where bypolls were held on July 10. Party candidates Kamlesh Thakur and Hardeep Singh Bawa registered thumping wins in Dehra and Nalagarh respectively, while Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ashish Sharma eked out a win in Hamirpur.
The result has brought the Congress’ presence in the 68-member assembly back up to 40, the exact same number that it had prior to the February rebellion that had led to the political upheaval in the state. BJP now has 28 MLAs in the House, up from 25, while the independents’ numbers have come down from three to zero.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, meanwhile, has emerged as the big victor in the four-month saga which witnessed two rounds of bypolls in the state. Despite intense politicking and efforts to overthrow his government, Sukhu has been able to hold firm and solidify his position within the party as well as in state politics.
While addressing the media, Sukhu said the Congress will again have 40 legislators in the assembly, adding, “This is the answer to those who conspired to topple the elected government in the state. We thank the people of the state who have rejected the politics of horse-trading.”
Prestige battle won
The second round of bypolls, which followed a government-saving 4-2 win for the Congress, saw Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakur contest from the Dehra seat.
The stakes were high as Sukhu led from the front, holding multiple rallies and meetings every day in the lead-up to polling day. His efforts bore fruit as Kamlesh Thakur registered a thumping win over BJP’s Hoshyar Singh, winning by a margin of 9,399 votes.
In her electoral debut, Thakur secured 32,737 votes against Singh’s 23,338 votes. The latter led briefly in the early trends, but Thakur bounced back and extended her lead after the fifth round.
This is Congress’ first win in Dehra since the seat was carved out in 2010. Hoshyar Singh, the two-time former independent legislator, had won the seat in the last two assembly elections, defeating candidates from both the Congress and the BJP.
Kamlesh thanked the public in Dehra for her victory, saying, “People wanted the Congress party to win from Dehra this time. They have supported the candidate and the party. I will work for the development of Dehra.”
Bawa wrests Nalagarh
In Nalagarh, Congress’ Hardeep Singh Bawa defeated BJP’s KL Thakur by 8,990 votes. Bawa, a five-time president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress’ Himachal Pradesh unit, polled 34,608 votes.
KL Thakur had emerged victorious twice in the last three polls from Nalagarh — as a BJP candidate in 2012 and an independent in 2022. The Congress had won the seat in the 2017 assembly elections.
BJP extends Hamirpur reign
The Congress, however, fell just short in Hamirpur where former independent legislator and now BJP candidate Ashish Sharma secured victory with a slender margin of 1,571 votes. He polled 27,041 votes compared to Congress candidate Pushpinder Verma’s 25,470 votes.
While Hamirpur is the home district for Sukhu, who represents Nadaun in the assembly, it is also the home turf of former Union minister Anurag Thakur, who represents the Hamirpur seat in the Lok Sabha. Thakur had aggressively campaigned for the party candidate.
The BJP has dominated the seat, having secured three consecutive terms between 2007 to 2017. Since 1998, the Congress has managed to win the seat only once in 2003 when party candidate Anita Thakur secured the victory. The seat was also represented by BJP stalwart and former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal, who secured victory in the 2012 assembly elections.
The seats fell vacant after the three Independent legislators — Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra), Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur) and KL Thakur (Nalagarh) — who had voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections on February 27, resigned from the House on March 22.
‘A message against horse trading’
Professor Ashutosh Kumar of the political science department at Panjab University, Chandigarh, says the incumbent party has a definite advantage over the opposition party in bypolls, but added, “The results show that Himachal, known for its clean politics, has sent a message by the voters to the political leaders not to indulge in horse trading. A message to the Congress faction leaders as well.”
For CM Sukhu, Kumar, who is also the first visiting professor to the TN Seshan Chair at India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi said, “He has to be vigilant and learn to live with the party MLAs in true Congress tradition and do not depend on weakened high command.”
