June 3 polls in HP to play decisive role

May 20: As the dust raised by Lok Sabha and Assembly polls has just settled, two major political parties - the BJP and Congress - are once a...

May 20: As the dust raised by Lok Sabha and Assembly polls has just settled, two major political parties – the BJP and Congress – are once again gearing up to fight for the prestigious Mandi Lok Sabha seat and four Assembly seats going for polls on June 3.

Out of the four assembly seats to be contested, three are from the tribal-belt, and one by-election is for the Pragpur seat, where the BJP MLA Virender Kumar died a day before the declaration of results. A significant aspect of the polls is that, if the Congress manages to win all the four seats, the outcome could change the entire political scenario of the state.

For the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, the BJP has the support of the HVC as former Public Works and Power Minister Sukh Ram had retired from the fray in favour of BJP’s Maheshwar Singh.

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The electioneering, which had been low-key affair because of the closure of routes to Lahual-Spiti and Pangi (all parts of Mandi Lok Sabha constituency), is expected to pick up this week with some national leaders joining the campaign. The Congress and BJP leaders who were assigned special poll duties in the tribal areas have reached there with election material.

While former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has already been campaigning, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal is leaving for Kinnaur on May 22.

He earlier campaigned in the Mandi and Kullu areas along with HVC president Sukh Ram. Narinder Modi, BJP’s national secretary is also slated to campaign in the constituency.

Even as the HVC and BJP have a poll alliance, the ruling party faces a HVC rebel in Kinnaur in S.C. Negi. The Congress too failed to persuade its rebel Rattan Mangri to retire from the fray. Still the BJP is understood to have gained much ground in the constituency, which earlier was represented by the Congress. There would be a triangular contest because of the presence of a Congress rebel, Ravi Thakur. The Congress and HVC have fielded new faces. Under the poll pact, the BJP conceded this seat to the HVC.

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The electoral fight in Bharmaur, which also has Congress dominated Pangi sub-division as its part, has also become interesting. The Congress nominee Thakur singh Bharmauri is on a sticky wicket this time as Tulsi Ram, a former BJP MLA, has gained an upper hand in the area.

At Pragpur, the BJP is facing a tough battle as it is banking on sympathy votes. Nirmala Devi, widow of Virender Kumar, is contesting the polls against Yog Raj of the Congress.

However, of all the Mandi Lok Sabha elections continue to dominate the campaign. Probably it is the presence of Pratibha Singh, wife of former chief minister, which is the reason for focus of the BJP and Congress leaders. She faces Maheshwar Singh, a former Rajya Sabha member and BJP heavyweight in her first-ever election.

None of the national leaders of the Congress have so far joined the campaign and Virbhadra Singh is working hard to ensure Congress victory. A major factor is SukhRam, who has vowed to finish his arch rival Virbhadra Singh politically. He had submitted a “charge-sheet” against Virbhadra Singh to Chief Minister demanding a CBI probe.

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Meanwhile, the dissident Congress leaders, who were invited to the extended CWC meeting by Sonia Gandhi, have also joined the Congress campaign in Pragpur. These included former Chief Minister Ram Lal Thakur and former Speaker Vidya Stokes. The AICC has also deputed Madhavrao Scindia, P.A. Sangma and Rajesh Pilot for electioneering in Himachal Pradesh. Though PCC had suggested that Sonia Gandhi should also visit the state for elections but there was unlikelihood of her campaigning in the postponed elections.