With the bypolls being seen as a precursor to the assembly elections, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday predicted that the BJP will retain the prestigious Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, and also win the three assembly segments – Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai.
Addressing an election rally at Karsog of Mandi district, Thakur said the grand old party had been decimated and only its name remained. Boasting of BJP candidate Brigadier Khushal Thakur’s military contributions, he said, “If we are able to sleep peacefully at our homes, it is only because of our soldiers guarding the border.”
On the hot button issue of inflation, the chief minister said it was a global phenomenon that had been caused due to the pandemic. “People must understand that inflation is a global phenomenon due to Covid, and eventually the situation will ease out. During the Congress regime, there was no pandemic, and yet inflation was on all-time high.”
He also took a dig at the alleged scams under the Congress regime. “I am confident that like 2014 and 2019, we will again win the Mandi seat with an even bigger margin,” he said.