Amitabh Shukla / Shimla
As campaigning comes to an end on
Friday, it is clear that elections in the hill State of Himachal
Pradesh could test poll issues like big ticket
corruption, rise in prices, FDI in retail and withdrawal of subsidies on LPG
cylinders.
Apart from the national issues, the polls
would determine whether people of the State believe in the series of
allegations against Congress’ Chief Ministerial aspirant Virbhadra Singh or the
assertions of CM Prem Kumar Dhumal that the disastrous performance of the UPA
at the Centre vis- a-vis the development in the last five years has led to a
pro-incumbency wave in the State.
Macro issues apart, there are a
series of micro issues which will determine the outcome in every constituency
making it a close contest. Congress changed its chief weeks before the polls
and brought in the disgraced Singh, the five-time Chief Minister, who was
forced to resign from the Union Cabinet due to charges of corruption. Change of
guard at the last moment and factionalism in the ticket distribution exercise
triggered serious dissent within the Congress with around two dozen rebels
contesting in 68 constituencies of the State.
BJP, on the other hand, sunk its
internal differences ahead of ticket distribution and the two top leaders of
the State — Dhumal and Shanta Kumar — joined hands to achieve “Mission Repeat”.
This helped check rebellion and only around half a dozen rebels are in the
fray, and most of them due to claims and counterclaims following delimitation.
Singh sought to play down the
corruption charges against him, including a court case in Shimla saying that it
would not have any impact on the polls. These moves were politically motivated,
he claimed.
He has threatened the media
organisations of defamation once the polls are over. “I have left my fate to
the people of the state. They have full sympathy with me. These weird
allegations against me are only building public sympathy for me,” the 78-year
old leader, who wants to be the CM for the sixth time, says nonchalantly.
Dhumal, the lecturer-turned
politician, who had a rather non-controversial tenure of five years, has
realised that corruption charges against Singh and the Centre are potent poll
issues. Wherever he campaigns, he strongly raises these issues and also blames
the Centre for hampering the
developmental agenda of the state.
With restriction on the number of
subsidized LPG cylinders becoming a major
issue, the soft-spoken Dhumal reminds the people that the withdrawal of subsidy
on the cylinders would lead to environmental degradation as people would be
forced to cut trees for fuel. He has already promised to provide induction
heater to the people after victory in the power surplus state, an issue which
has found wider acceptability.
“There is no anti-incumbency in the state.
Congress leaders have exposed themselves thoroughly. Even the Prime Minister
and the Congress President misled the people here. The Centre is yet to give
the dues of the state in the hydro-power projects. Special industrial status to
the state was withdrawn. People will teach Congress a lesson,” says Dhumal,
looking for a third term as chief minister. State BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti
added that Singh’s conduct as Union Steel Minister has made every citizen of
Himachal called ‘devbhoomi’ bow his head in shame.
The result of neighbouring Punjab
where the SAD-BJP government got repeated early this year, a rare phenomenon
ever since the division of the state in 1966, has come as a shot in arm for
Dhumal as Himachal too has not returned an incumbent government in the last two
decades. “Good governance pays”, added Dhumal.
Himachal Lokhit Party, a
breakaway faction of the BJP, is contesting all the 68 seats in alliance with
the Left parties - CPI(M) and CPI. But political observers in the state say
that this formation could get the anti-incumbency votes which would have
otherwise gone to the Congress and help the BJP. Bahujan Samaj Party and the
Trinamool Congress too have fielded candidates in most of the constituencies
but have so far failed to make an impact leaving the main fight between arch
rivals Congress and the BJP.
A pre-poll survey of CNN-IBN has
put the BJP slightly ahead of the Congress suggesting that a close contest is
on the cards. BJP tried to build up a positive campaign convincing the floating
voters that their interest lies in continuity. Congress campaign was largely
negative as it was forced to continuously deny corruption charges in the month
long electioneering and did not bring any developmental agenda to the
forefront.
Voters would have the last laugh
on November 4 in the battle between royalty (Raja Virbhadra Singh from the
princely state of Bushahr) and the common man (Prem Kumar Dhumal, LIC official
turned lecturer turned politician). (November 2, 2012)
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