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HP BJP’s slogans ring hollow after Pratibha’s win in Mandi
BJP defeated in nine of 17 assembly segments of Mandi parliamentary constituency, which is chief minister Jai Ram Thakur’s home turf
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur pulled out all stops to campaign for party candidate Brigadier Khushal Chand Thakur (retd), who was pitted against Pratibha Singh of the Congress, on his home turf of Mandi but in vain.
Also read: Bypoll results: What they reveal, what they don’t
The BJP slogan of “Mandi humari thi, humari hai aur humari rahegi (Mandi is ours and will remain ours)” was countered by Pratibha Singh on social media soon after she was declared victorious. “Mandi hum sab ki hein, hum sabki thi, hum sabki rahegi (Mandi belongs to all of us),” she tweeted after winning the elections.
BJP campaigners had described the wife of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh as Majboor Mahila (helpless woman), which she responded with the slogan that she’s a Majboot Mahila (strong woman).
Political observers say that the Mandi Lok Sabha byelection win on Tuesday has given a psychological advantage to the opposition Congress not only in Mandi but also in the entire state that will be going to the polls next year-end.
Political significance of Mandi
Mandi is a central district of the state and representatives of this constituency have vied for the post of chief minister. Karam Singh Thakur, a prominent leader from Mandi, challenged then chief minister Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar’s authority in the early ’60s but could not make it to the CM’s chair.
Former Union minister Sukh Ram, close to then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao made several efforts to overthrow Virbhadra Singh to become the chief minister but the scion of the Rampur Bushahr royal family didn’t let the Mandi leader succeed in his mission. It was after a struggle of five decades that Jai Ram Thakur, who hails from Tandi village of Mandi district, fulfilled the aspiration.
Jai Ram Thakur was the face of the BJP not only for the Mandi parliamentary seat but for the three assembly segments, too. He tried to strike an emotional chord but it didn’t work as Pratibha defeated Kargil war veteran Brigadier Thakur by 7,490 votes.
During the campaign, the BJP camp raked up regional factors to secure votes, while the Congress banked on the sympathy factor following the death of Pratibha’s husband and former CM Virbhadra Singh in July. She accused the BJP of raking up regionalism for electoral gains and chose to focus on the shortcomings in governance.
Convincing lead in Seraj
Of the 17 assembly segments in Mandi, the BJP was defeated in nine assembly segments. Brigadier Thakur was able to get a convincing 21,659 votes lead from his home constituency of Seraj. The leads from Karsog, Sundernagar, Balh, Mandi and Sarkhaghat were marginal.
The BJP got a thin lead of 956 votes from Mandi town, represented by Sukh Ram’s son Anil Sharma. The CM’s ties with Anil are strained after his son Aashray Sharma contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on the Congress ticket against the BJP nominee, Ram Swaroop Sharma.
Anil, who had joined the BJP on the eve of the 2017 assembly elections, was forced to quit the cabinet. He was sidelined by the party since then and has been lying low.
Infighting also cost the BJP dear. Ajay Rana, an aide of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, and Praveen Sharma, also a Dhumal loyalist who was denied the Vidhan Sabha ticket, were absent from the campaign.
