Himachal Assembly Polls
Amba Charan Vashishth
HOW it happened? That may be debatable. But the fact remains that Himachal’s largest district, Kangra, that sends 15 MLAs to the 68-member Himachal assembly and on which BJP depended heavily has let it down. Ironically, once considered to be the BJP citadel this district, this time returned only 3 BJP candidates and in Kangra parliamentary constituency 3 out of 17 segments. This is the lowest tally. Even during 1985 pro-Congress wave BJP could still win 3 seats.
Congress with its lowest ever tally of 36 could just make it to a simple majority. Had BJP won another 3 seats in Kangra, one more in Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts, BJP would have again romped home to power with 5 independents’ support.
There has been reversal of fortunes for Congress not only that it snatched power from BJP but also that it made inroads into BJP fortress in new areas winning 17 of 36 seats. BJP emerged a greater force winning 16 out of its 26 seats from old areas – Mandi 5, Chamba 3, Solan 2 (3rd Nalagarh seat falls in old areas), Sirmaur 3, Bilaspur 2. and Shimla 1. BJP won the highest ever number of seats—3 in Sirmaur.
Ironically, there was also reversal of fortunes for Congress and BJP in Nalagarh and Renuka where Congress had wrested Nalagarh from BJP and BJP Renuka from Congress in by-elections held about a year back. But this time both the Congress candidate in Nalagarh and BJP candidate in Renuka who had won last time lost to their opponents. Virbhadra staunch confidant Gangu Ram Musafir, a former minister, lost his Pachhad seat in Sirmaur district he had been winning since 1982.
Education Minister in Dhumal government scored a sixer for BJP winning his seat consecutively for the sixth time. Another minister Ravinder Singh Ravi created history by becoming the only candidate in Kangra district to have ever won consecutively for the fifth time.
Shri Virbhadra Singh who became the chief minister for the sixth time won his new seat of Shimla Rural with a margin of 20,000 and 71 percent votes. The Congress candidate from Rohroo constituency Mohan Lal Brakta won by the still largest margin of 28,416 securing 77 percent votes.
The BJP rebels who floated the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) and contested 3 dozen seats could win only one for its chief Shri Maheshwar Singh in Kullu, thanks to the Congress rebel Mrs. Premlata Thakur. The other high sounding leaders like former speaker Radha Raman Shastri (who later shifted to NCP) and Rohroo ex-MLA and ex-General Secretary Khushi Ram Balnatah had to feel content with a paltry score of only 513 and 243, respectively. Dark horses Naveen Dhiman (6982 votes) in Pragpur-Jaswan and Dulo Ram (7049 votes) in Palampur did mark their presence felt but in vain. Other HLP candidates could not run into four figures. HLP has ended up as a group of disgruntled individuals united only by their ambition sans clout with the masses. It is doubtful if the party will be able to keep its herd together till the next election.
The Himachal voter has once again rejected the third front concept. It has reiterated its faith in the two-party system. The communist parties, BSP, SP and NCP did invest a lot but failed to win even a single seat. Most of their candidates lost their security deposits.
Party-hopper and former Congress minister Vijai Singh Mankotia, adept at taking sudden u-turns, had to eat humble pie at the hands of BJP’s Mrs. Sarveen Chaudhary. This successive defeat in his home constituency may prove fatal for him to regain his electoral life.
BJP suspended too vocal Kangra MP Rajan Sushant too may not be able to come out of the shock of his wife’s defeat who contested as an independent in Fatehpur constituency.
BJP recorded its first-ever win in the Pachhad and Shillai constituencies in Sirmaur.
BJP has convened a meeting to discuss its reverses at Una. But whatever the reasons and outcome, the party will have to lick its wounds for a long time to come. Drastic and bitter action is the need of the hour to rejuvenate the party to win the Parliament elections due in 2014.
