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Himachal votes today, fate of 62 candidates to be sealed
Besides the 4 Lok Sabha seats, bypolls to six assembly seats are also taking place today; the six assembly seats had fallen vacant following the disqualification of Congress rebels for defying a party whip to vote in favour of the government during the budget
After two months of hectic campaigning, the big day is finally here when Himachal voters pick their representatives to the Lok Sabha. Besides the elections to the four Lok Sabha seats of Hamirpur, Mandi, Kangra and Shimla, bypolls are being held in six assembly segments -- Sujanpur, Dharamshala, Lahaul and Spiti, Barsar, Gagret and Kutlehar.
The six assembly seats had fallen vacant following the disqualification of Congress rebels for defying a party whip to vote in favour of the government during the budget. These legislators voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha polls on February 29, later joined the saffron party and are contesting the bypolls on BJP tickets from their respective segments.
The hill state, where the political landscape has long been dominated by a bipolar dynamic, had seen high-pitched campaigns, filled with rancour and insinuations, over the last two months. Among the star campaigners who descended upon the state were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union home minister Amit Shah, All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi. Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and former CM Jai Ram Thakur also extensively campaigned throughout the state, with the former addressing a whopping 125 rallies. On Friday, leaders and workers of political parties made last-ditch efforts to woo voters and went door-to-door seeking votes.
Lots at stake for CM Sukhu
The June 1 elections carry immense significance for CM Sukhu, particularly in the light of the crucial by-elections to six assembly seats, the outcome of which could impact his political future.
For the BJP, which faced setbacks in the 2022 assembly elections, the battle represents a crucial opportunity to reclaim lost ground and replicate its previous success. In the 2019 general elections, buoyed by the fervour of Modi wave, the BJP clinched victory across all four Lok Sabha seats.
Issues that matter
The Congress leaders attacked the BJP throughout the campaign for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to topple the democratically-elected government in Himachal Pradesh through money power. The BJP made the yet-to-be implemented promises of the Congress government in the state, “Modi teesri bar” (Narendra Modi as the prime minister for a third time) and the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya its poll planks. It also dubbed the Congress as “anti-Ram” for refusing the invitation for the consecration ceremony of the temple. The Congress hit out at the Agniveer scheme for short-term military recruitment, alleged a threat to democracy and horse-trading by the BJP during its campaign. It also talked about unemployment and inflation in the country. Apple was another issue that was raised from different perspectives by both the Congress and the BJP. The Congress has included the demands of apple growers for 100% import duty on their produce, abolition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on farm inputs and equipment, loan waiver and subsidies on fertilisers and pesticides in its manifesto, while the BJP maintain that it has introduced several schemes and initiatives for the apple farmers, such as Kisan Samman Nidhi and solar fencing.
37 in fray in Lok Sabha,
25 in six assembly seats
With 37 candidates vying for victory and a total of 57,11,969 voters —including 999 centenarian electors—spread across 7,992 polling booths, the electoral battleground is set. In a strategic move, the ruling BJP has opted to field both seasoned incumbents and fresh faces across the four parliamentary constituencies.
No visible wave in
Himachal, say experts
Political observer and head of political science department at Himachal Pradesh University, Ramesh K Chauhan, observes, “The one common factor captured during the entire campaign period is the voters’ silence. Amid a missing visible pro/anti wave, most commentators and analysts agree that this election is more about the choice of contesting candidates and the issues that matter more for them in their lives. Therefore, the national polls have a localised character,” he said.
“The Congress has fielded new candidates on all four seats whereas the BJP has retained two and replaced candidates from Mandi and Kangra. The most noticeable difference between this and the two previous elections is that it is a normal election during abnormal times without any visible wave,” he added.
KEY CONTESTS
High profile battle in Mandi
The heir of the erstwhile Rampur royal family and son of six-time former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya Singh, who is the PWD minister in the Sukhu government, has been pitted against Bollywood actor Kangna Ranaut (BJP).
Battle for supremacy in Kangra
In Kangra, caste dynamics intersect with political allegiances, with former Union minister and Congress leader Anand Sharma facing BJP’s Dr Rajeev Bharadwaj, the nephew of former chief minister Shanta Kumar.
An uphill battle for BJP,
Congress in Hamirpur
In Hamirpur, the BJP’s stronghold for over two decades, incumbent MP Anurag Thakur seeks a reelection, banking on his track record and familial legacy. However, the spectre of anti-incumbency looms large. The Congress has fielded Satpal Raizada, a former Una MLA and a close confidante of CM Sukhu.
Shimla
In Shimla, both parties are vying for dominance in a traditional Congress stronghold, with the BJP hoping to capitalise on the popularity of its candidate, Suresh Kashyap, and the grand old party banking on the legacy of its former six-term MP late KD Sultanpuri, whose son Vinod Sultanpuri is in the fray.
