Amitabh Shukla | Shimla
After witnessing a fierce
electoral war in Himachal Pradesh in which two powerful political families are
involved — one from the BJP and the other from Congress, forty-eight lakh
voters would decide the fate of 38 candidates in four parliamentary seats in
the Himalayan State on Wednesday.
No prizes for guessing that it is
senior BJP leader, two-time Chief Minister and now Leader of Opposition Prem
Kumar Dhumal who is pitched in an electoral battle with six-time Chief Minister
Virbhadra Singh in a battle of wits in which victory or defeat would have wide
spread political ramification for both the leaders. Both Dhumal and Singh,
spearheading their parties, campaigned extensively and addressed over 300
meetings each in almost every nook and corner of the state.
Unlike the culture at the
national level in BJP, Himachal Pradesh is perhaps the only State where father
Dhumal and son Anurag Thakur are both important leaders of the saffron party.
BJP leaders in the state insist that Thakur, two-time MP from Hamirpur and
President the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, is a leader on his own right and
has not “benefited” from the stature of his father, a claim which the Congress
rejects outrightly.
Then, there is the royal family
of Virbhadra Singh—typically dynastic and represents the classic Congress
culture where son succeeds the father and occasionally the wife of the leader
too pitches in. Pratibha Singh or the Rani Sahiba, wife of the chief minister
is the Congress candidate from Mandi while his son Vikramaditya Singh, called
Tikka Sahib, is the star campaigner of the party. Vikramaditya, 23, President
of Himachal Youth Congress, has been launched big time in this election. He
could have contested the poll from Mandi had he been 25 years of age. BJP
leaders in the state slam the dynastic politics of the Congress saying his
mother is keeping the seat warm for him.
Virbhadra Singh, more popular as
Raja Sahib, embroiled in several controversies and charges of corruption,
launched what the BJP called “vendetta politics” soon after coming to power for
the sixth time in December 2012. Both Dhumal and Thakur have been brought under
the lens of the state government controlled Vigilance Bureau for alleged
irregularities in the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association. Thakur has build a world class cricket
stadium in Dharamsala in the backdrop of the mighty Dhauladhar range and
Virbhadra Singh wants to discredit them by all means available to him.
“This election is a litmus test
for both Dhumal and Singh. If BJP wins 3-1, the days of Virbhadra could be
numbered. Dhumal would emerge victorious in the people’s court and vendetta
politics would be defeated. But If Congress wins 3-1, Virbhadra would have the
last laugh and Dhumal would be defensive besides facing more vendetta cases,”
said a political analyst in Shimla.
ISSUES
Apples: In the horticulture belt of the state, invasion of Chinese
and American apples in the Indian market is a major poll issue. The
horticulturists of the state have been petitioning to the Congress government
in the state and the Centre for increasing import duty on foreign apples to at
least 100 per cent if not 150 per cent to save the apple farmers of the state.
Nothing happened on this front even though Commerce Minister Anand Sharma is
from the state. When BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi talked about
the invasion of foreign apples and its adverse impact on Himachal farmers and
how he will increase the import duty in Solan, it was music to the ear of the
farmers. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who also addressed a rally in
the same town, did not address the concerns. This could help BJP in the apple
belt.
Tourism: This is the bread and butter of the state but almost
everyone involved in the trade is dismayed at the casual approach of the
government on this front. “People come to Himachal Pradesh despite the
government,” said Mahesh Sharma, owner of a hotel, near Victory Tunnel in
Shimla. When Congress government came it sniffed something wrong in whatever
its predecessor government did. The Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi ropeway project
was scrapped. There has been no progress on the Jakhu
Temple
Regional divide of upper and lower Himachal: This has affected
governance badly. Ask the people and they will tell you that a divide exists.
For example, Dhumal is from lower Himachal while Virbhadra Singh is from Upper
Himachal . Bureaucracy, choice postings and a lot of other things
depend on this regional divide which many say is eating into the vitality of
the state.
Poor condition of highways: In this hill state, roads are the
lifeline as there is no rail or air connectivity. But except the Chandigarh-Shimla
National highway, all roads are in a very bad shape. The Virbhadra Singh
government simply did not do anything on this front in the last 16 months.
“Everyone in the state travels by road and this time, they know how bad the
conditions are and who is responsible,” said the owner of ‘Bright’ Dhaba on the
Mandi-Ner Chowk highway. The two main tourist attractions of
Dharamsala-McLeodganj and Manali-Rohtang
Pass
HPCA: Perhaps the most beautiful cricket stadium of the world is in
Himachal Pradesh at Dharamsala. It is under stack from the new government on
land lease and alleged irregularities. Congress has made it a poll issue to
target Dhumal and Thakur. Charge sheet has also been filed in the court against
the two. BJP has retaliated saying it is political vendetta.
Narendra Modi: In its entire campaign BJP talked about Modi while
Congress kept on dismissing the existence of any “Modi wave”. The BJP prime
ministerial candidate is a big poll issue with sharply divided opinion. Other national issues too are being raised
mainly by the BJP.
CONSTITUENCIES
Shimla: Sitting MP Virender Kashyap of BJP is pitted against Mohan
Lal Brakta of the Congress from this reserved seat, the apple belt of Himachal
Pradesh. Both the parties are equally matched this time though the seat has
been a traditional Congerss stronghold. But given the problems of the apple
farmers and failure of the state and central governments to address those BJP
has emerged as favourites after Modi’s rally in Solan.
Hamirpur: Sitting MP Anurag Thakur (BJP) is in a triangular contest
versus Rajinder Rana (Congress) and Kamal Kanta Batra (AAP). This is a
stronghold of the BJP and Dhumal has ensured it stays that way. CM Virbhadra
Singh specially brought Independent MLA Rana in Congress and spent much of his
time campaigning here. Batra is the mother of Kargil martyr Vikram Batra,
winner of highest gallantry award of the country, Paramvir Chakra. It is BJP
all the way here and Congress faces an uphill task.
Mandi: Here the sitting MP Pratibha Singh (Congress) is contesting
against political novice Ram Swaroop Sharma (BJP). Mandi is to Congress what
Hamirpur is to the BJP, respective strongholds of the two parties. It is
extremely difficult for Sharma here even though Narendra Modi addressed a
well-attended rally. Congress President Sonia Gandhi too addressed a rally here
in favour of Pratibha Singh.
Kangra: It is two-time chief minister Shanta Kumar (BJP) versus
Chander Kumar (Cong) and sitting MP Rajan Sushant (AAP). Coming out of
retirement, the BJP veteran is contesting his last election and is tipped to be
a Cabinet Minister if Modi becomes the Prime Minister. The Congress candidate
did not get enough support from his chief minister. Sushant could be a spoiler
in some pockets but it is BJP all the way in the constituency. (May 7, 2014)
http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/hp-elections-litmus-test-for-bjp-cong.html
http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/hp-elections-litmus-test-for-bjp-cong.html
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