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Himachal byelections: Congress scores 4-0, BJP loses to infighting
Former CM late Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha wins Mandi Lok Sabha seat, while BJP camp hit by factionalism in Arki, Jubbal-Kotkhai and Fatehpur assembly segments
The opposition Congress swept the byelections in the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency besides the Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly segments by defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.
Celebrations broke out in the Congress camp even before the Election Commission formally announced the results in the evening.
Pratibha Singh, the Congress candidate and wife of former chief minister the late Virbhadra Singh, won from Mandi parliamentary constituency by 7,490 votes. A former two-term member of Parliament from Mandi, Pratibha polled 3,69,565 votes, while her BJP rival Brigadier Khushal Chand Thakur (retd) got 3,62,075 votes.
NOTA plays spoilsport for BJP
None of the above (NOTA) played spoilsport for the BJP as it got 12,626 votes.
In the 2019 general election, the BJP had won the Mandi seat by more than 4.5 lakh votes. Its voteshare declined by 20.61% in two years. The party had polled 48.14% votes as compared to 68.75% in the 2019 elections. The Congress vote share rose by 23.46%. In the last elections, it polled just 25.64% votes, while this time it got 49.14% of votes.
The Mandi seat is significant as it is the home turf of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur for whom this election was a litmus test of his and his party’s popularity as the state heads into an election year.
The win also establishes that Pratibha will carry forward the political legacy of Virbhadra Singh, a six-time chief minister who passed away in July. Their son, Vikramaditya Singh, actively campaigned for her in the byelections.
Infighting costs BJP dear in Fatehpur
In Fatehpur assembly segment, Bhawani Singh Pathania of the Congress won by 5,789 votes. Pathania polled 24,449 votes against the BJP’s Baldev Thakur.
Former member of Parliament Rajan Sushant, who contested as an independent candidate this time, polled 12,927 votes, thus playing spoilsport for his former party, the BJP.
The ruling party was marred by infighting in Fatehpur, a stronghold of the Congress for more than a decade. The byelection was necessitated after sitting legislator Sujan Singh Pathania passed away due to a prolonged illness in February. His son, Bhawani, quit his job in a banking and insurance company to take the poll plunge.
Congress snatches Jubbal-Kotkhai from BJP
The Congress snatched the Jubbal-Kotkhai seat from the BJP. Congress nominee and a former two-term legislator, Rohit Thakur, defeated BJP rebel turned independent candidate Chetan Bragta by 6,293 votes. The BJP suffered a humiliating drubbing as its candidate, Neelam Saraik, couldn’t even save her security deposit.
The death of BJP MLA Narinder Singh Bragta had necessitated the byelection.
Thakur, the grandson of former chief minister Ram Lal Thakur, polled 29,955 votes, while Chetan, the son of Narinder Bragta, got 23,662 votes. Saraik managed to get only 2,644 votes. The BJP’s vote share slid by 45%, while the Congress vote share increased by 4.67% in the constituency.
Congress retains Arki seat, infighting hits BJP
The Congress also retained the Arki assembly seat that had fallen vacant after former CM Virbhadra Singh’s death in July. Congress candidate Sanjay Awasthi polled 30,798 votes against the 27,579 votes his BJP rival, Rattan Pal Singh, got.
In Arki too, infighting harmed the BJP’s prospects.
