Himachal Polls: Unemployment a concern, but Congress, BJP yet to overcome trouble within

Sitting MLAs

In the last Assembly elections, BJP won two seats – Kasauli and Doon – and three were taken by the Congress. Health and family welfare minister Rajiv Saijal won Kasauli and Paramjeet Singh Pammi won from Doon constituency.

While former CM Virbhadra Singh won from Arki and after his death, Sanjay Awasthi retained this seat in the bypoll, Lakhwinder Singh Rana won the Nalagarh seat on Congress ticket but now he has joined the BJP. Congress’ Dhani Ram Shandil has been winning the Solan seat since 2012 when the constituency was reserved in Scheduled Caste category.

Issues

Solan district borders Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand and is famous for its mushroom plantation and off season vegetable production. The district also boasts of the industrial belt of Baddi-Barotiwal in Nalagarh. But even with various industries and two major cement plants, unemployment is a major concern here.

Arki

Arki constituency was won by the BJP for the first time in 2007 because of infighting in the Congress. Govind Ram Sharma defeated then Congress rebel candidate and former Deputy Speaker Dharam Pal Thakur who had won from this seat thrice continuously in 1993, 1998 and 2003.

With an aim to woo SC votes, Prakash Karad, son of Sonia Gandhi’s cook, was given Congress ticket from Arki in 2007 and this infuriated sitting MLA Dharam Pal. He revolted against the Congress high command and openly raised slogans against Sonia Gandhi. Dharam Pal then contested as an Independent candidate from the seat with indirect support from then CM Virbhadra Singh, but he lost to BJP’s Gobind Ram. The defeat of Dharam Pal, who was a Virbhadra loyalist, came as a setback to the veteran leader and also closed all doors for his comeback to the party fold. Unfortunately, he died untimely and in 2012, Sanjay Awasthi was given the ticket. However, due to infighting, this time too, BJP’s Gobind Ram Sharma won from the seat.

In 2017, BJP fielded Rattan Singh Pal, a first timer against Congress heavyweight and then CM Virbhadra Singh, who left his own Shimla Rural constituency to his son Vikramaditya Singh. Rattan Singh lost by a margin of over 6,000 votes. In July 2021, Virbhadra Singh died and for the bypoll, BJP again choose Rattan Singh Pal over Gobind Ram Sharma and this angered the latter. Sharma loyalists revolted and dienied support to Rattan Pal Singh, thus enabling Congress’ Sanjay Awasthi’s win. This time, to correct its mistake, BJP has fielded Gobind Ram Sharma but it has angered the Rattan Singh Pal faction.

Solan (Reserved-SC)

In an interesting contest in Solan, the main fight is between a son-in-law and his father-in- law. While the Congress has given ticket to sitting MLA Col. Dhani Ram Shandil, BJP has reposed its trust on Shandil’s son-in-law Dr Rajesh Kashyap. Shandil has been winning from this seat since 2012 when the constituency was reserved for SC candidate.

Former state BJP president and Vidhan Sabha Speaker Bindal first become MLA in 2000 from this seat and represented this constituency in Vidhan Sabha three times consecutively from 2000 to 2012. In the 2017 elections, Shandil won against his son-in-law by a margin of 671 votes. Shandil got 26,200 votes while Dr Kashyap got 25,529 votes.

Nalagarh

The BJP has given ticket to sitting Congress MLA Lakhwinder Singh Rana, who recently joined the BJP. It infuriated former BJP MLA and ticket aspirant K L Thakur, who has not filed his nominations as an Independent.

As a student, Rana was an active member of ABVP and held many posts in the BJP. But later, he switched over to the Congress and won the 2011 bypoll by a thin margin. In 2012, Rana was defeated by Thakur by a margin of 9308 votes.

It was Hari Narayan Saini, former CM Shanta Kumar loyalist, who made Nalagarh Constituency a BJP stronghold. Saini won this seat several times, including in 1998, 2003 and 2007. In 2007, then CM Prem Kumar Dhumal did not induct him in his cabinet and he passed away in 2011. In the bypoll this year, Rana defeated BJP candidate Gurnam Kaur, wife of late Hari Narayan Saini. There is possibility of a tough contest in this seat this time.

Doon

A large part of the Industrial belt of Baddi-Barotiwala and Nalagarh lies in the Doon constituency. Former Congress leader late Lajja Ram has represented the seat from 1990 to 2007. Ram was considered the arch rival of former CM Virbhadra Singh. It was only in 2007 Vidhan Sabha elections that BJP won the seat for the first time. However, in 2012, BJP candidate Vinod Kumari Chandal lost to Congress candidate Ram Kumar, son of Lajja Ram.

In 2017, BJP candidate Param Jeet Singh Pammi won this seat. Pammi and Ram Kumar are in the fray this time too.

Kasauli

A stronghold of the Congress, Kasauli was first won by BJP’s Rajiv Saijal in 2007 due to infighting in Congress. Congress leader Raghu Raj was the undisputed leader of this constituency and he won the seat in 1982, 1985,1993,1998 and 2003. In 1990, BJP candidate Satya Pal Kamboj won from this seat. And in 2007, BJP leader Rajeev Saijal defeated Congress heavyweight Raghu Raj. In 2012 and 2017, Congress candidate Vinod Sultanpuri lost to Saijal. Congress has given ticket to Vinod Sultanpuri, son of former Congress MP KD Sultanpuri this time too and the BJP has fielded health and family welfare Minister Rajiv Saijal.