Snowfall and severe cold wave could not cool down the anti-establishment wave running in Himachal Pradesh. The heat generated through aggressive poll campaign by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has virtually thrown the ruling Congress on the receiving end. A clear edge in favour of BJP is reminding the days of 1990 when Shri Shanta Kumar had formed the government with thumping majority.
Now is the turn of equally experienced Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal again, who has been projected as next Chief Minister by the party high command. He had very successfully led the government from 1998 to 2003 in this hill state. He now enjoys full support of former Chief Minister Shri Shanta Kumar.
The BJP in its campaign, has focused on issues which are very close to the people'ssentiments. They include hike in prices, corruption, unemployment and no development in the state during the five years regime of Congress. The ruling party has chosen development as its main poll issue. Some small players like Bahujan Samaj Party, Lok Janshakti Party, CPM and CPI and few rebels of BJP and Congress are also in the fray. The polling of first phase in three Vanvasi seats was held on November 14 and remaining 65 seats will go to polls on December 19.
The leadership issue in BJP was solved by the party high command by projecting Prof. Dhumal as its chief ministerial candidate. And Shri Shanta Kumar, one time hot contender for the post, has not only accepted the decision but also extended his full cooperation to Prof. Dhumal in bringing the party in power. Rajnath Singh, national present of BJP, has rightly described Shri Shanta Kumar, as Mukhia (head) of the BJP Parivar in the state. Now both the stalwarts of state BJP are, as usual, addressing joint rallies. However, the Congress high command has declined to project Virbhadra Singh or any other leader as the next Chief Minister. It has increased the confusion in the party cadre who are already demoralised by an aggressive campaign of opposition over the charges of corruption on the Congress leadership.
The assembly elections in the state were due in February next year. But an issue of Fundamental Rights of people of three Vanvasi constituencies?Kinnour, Lahul-Spiti and Bharmour was raised by their MLAs in the High Court. It was their plea that the Vanvasis had no roll in the formation of government as due to snow and bad weather, elections in these three assembly segments are always held when the poll process in rest of 65 seats is completed and the government is formed. That was the reason, the Election Commission took decision to hold early election in the state and voting in the Vanvasi segments was held before they were snowbound. Now the results of all the 68 seats will come on December 28 and the new government could be formed in the first week of January.
The Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was upset by the decision of early polls as they were deprived of announcing poll-sops and had accused the Election Commission of being an agent of BJP. Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal has described this attitude of CM as ?surrender before polls?. Talking to Organiser, he said ?by showing disrespect to a constitutional body like EC, the Congress has accepted the defeat.?
But one very interesting fact is that the term of the present assembly will end on March 9, 2008 and if the Congress is defeated, there would be a constitutional crisis as BJP would insist on forming the government immediately after the results are declared and Shri Virbhadra Singh is not ready for that. The Chief Minister has already gone on record that ?no power on earth can dislodge me before March 9. I have a mandate to be the elected Chief Minister till the last day of present assembly.? However, Shri Satyapal Jain, incharge of Himachal Pradesh BJP and a legal luminary, maintained that ?after the defeat of Congress in polls, Virbhadra Singh will loose every right to remain in power for a minute.?
The BJP national leaders like Shri L.K. Advani, Shri Rajnath Singh, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and Smt Sushma Swaraj are prominent among others who addressed election rallies. Mayavati and Ram Vilas Paswan tried to mobilise support for BSP and LJP candidates respectively. Smt Sonia Gandhi did not come to address poll meetings in the state.
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