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Himachal bypoll: Jai Ram accepts defeat, says will work on BJP’s shortcomings before 2022
Jai Ram vindicated reports of election sabotage and attributed Congress’ victory in the bypolls to the sympathy factor post former Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s demise and the rebellion within the saffron party
After the electoral drubbing in three assembly constituencies and one parliamentary seat in Himachal, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, under whom the Bharatiya Janata Party fought the bypolls, accepted the outcome and took responsibility for the defeat.
“I accept the people’s verdict in Mandi, Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai and congratulate the Congress candidates who have won. Our party will deliberate on the reasons for the defeat and chalk out the future strategy accordingly,” he said adding that the party will look at working on the shortcomings before the assembly elections slated for 2022.
He also vindicated reports of election sabotage and attributed Congress’ victory to the sympathy factor post former chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s demise and the rebellion within the saffron party.
“Sympathy factor for the Congress was apparent in the tribal regions and the party seems to have taken full advantage of that,” said Jai Ram.
Following the debacle, the CM cancelled his planned visit to Mandi. Deep Kamal, the party office in Shimla, where supporters had planned for big celebrations in anticipation of a thumping victory, went into a lull after the declaration of results.
Jai Ram said the party would work with a renewed zeal for the assembly elections in 2022. “Congress has won Mandi but it’s not a victory that the party should celebrate, the margin was very less. Price rise was an issue and Congress exploited it to the hilt,” he said.
It’s a referendum against BJP, says Congress
Buoyed by the victory, the Congress said results show people have lost confidence in the ruling party. State Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore said, “The chief minister has lost the confidence of the people of Himachal Pradesh. The results of this byelection are a referendum against the ruling BJP government. Jai Ram Thakur should resign on moral grounds.”
Thanking the voters of the state, the Congress chief said, “In constituencies where the BJP previously had a lead of more than 30,000 votes, it has now been reduced to less than 1,500.”
He said the Congress’ lead in postal ballots was a clear indication of a strong anti-government sentiment among government employees.
Meanwhile, Pratibha Singh who trounced BJP’s Brig Khushal Singh Thakur (retd) in the Mandi Parliamentary seat, said, “People have voted for the developmental works carried out by Congress government. Modiji promised two crore jobs but in the last seven years, he has done nothing in this regard. This victory is a tribute to my late husband, Raja Sahab, who was seen as the architect of modern Himachal Pradesh.”
She thanked party workers who worked tirelessly to ensure the victory of candidates.
