In Hamirpur bastion, Anurag Thakur eyes fifth term as CM Sukhu stakes prestige in key battle

“Anurag Thakur is our MP and there is no doubt he will remain our MP. In fact, people on the other side of this road had voted for Congress in the 2022 elections and elected Sudarshan Singh Babloo as their MLA. They will too go with Anurag Thakur,” claims Happy, who runs a confectionery shop by the roadside.

The Congress clinched the November 2022 Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, winning 40 seats out of 68 as against the BJP’s 25.

Happy’s father Joginder Sharma says, “This place spans two districts. The Chintpurni temple is in Una while the stairs leading to the temple fall in Kangra. As it is a revered place, people from many places come here, who would give an idea which way the wind is blowing in the polls.”

In the Hamirpur elections the stakes are high for both the BJP and the Congress, especially for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu who hails from Hamirpur’s Nadaun, which he also represents in the Assembly. Even Depuy CM Mukesh Agnihotri’s Haroli seat also falls under the Hamirpur constituency.

Significantly, six Congress MLAs had turned rebel and cross-voted for the BJP in the February 2024 Rajya Sabha election following which they were disqualified, which took the Congress’s tally down to 34, just above the simple majority mark in the current 62-member House.

On March 22, the three Independent MLAs who also backed the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls submitted their resignations to Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, who is yet to accept it. They joined the BJP along with the rebel Congress MLAs on March 23.

Subsequently, the BJP allotted its tickets to all the disqualified Congress MLAs. Of their six Assembly segments, which are set for by-elections along with the state’s four Lok Sabha constituencies in the final phase on June 1, four seats – Sujanpur and Barsar in Hamirpur district and Kutlehar and Gagret in Una district – fall under the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency.

Hamirpur LS seat

The outcome of these bypolls will have a crucial bearing on the Sukhu government’s stability or even survival.

In Chintpurni, a woman teacher in a government school, says, “The Chintpurni Assembly seat had been once represented by Congress’s Rakesh Kalia. He had joined BJP but recently returned to Congress and contesting the by-election from Gagret against Congress rebel-turned-BJP candidate Chaitanya Sharma. Kalia helps everyone. He should win the bypoll.”

In Choliyan village in Dehra, there seem to be mixed views about Anurag Thakur’s prospects. Sitting at a tea stall here, a local Surjit Singh says, “Anurag talks about bringing AIIMS to Bilaspur. Most of the doctors there have however been taken from Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College Kangra at Tanda. So, now there is a shortage of doctors at Tanda hospital.”

The tea stall’s owner Joginder Singh says, “Hoshyar Singh nai koi kaam ni kita, MP di vote taa Modi nu jayegi (MLA Hoshyar Singh has not done anything. My vote for Lok Sabha polls will go to Modi.” Hoshyar was among three Independent MLAs who has joined the BJP.

In his campaign, Anurag has been highlighting Modi’s accomplishments besides various development projects he claims to has ensured in the constituency, including the establishment of the AIIMS Bilaspur and expansion and widening of local road networks. The BJP is also using its Ram Temple plank to seek votes.

CM Sukhu is spearheading the Congress’s campaign, putting all his might in a bid to wrest Hamirpur from the BJP. He has accused Anurag of not delivering on his “tall promises”.

Sukhu spent the last day of campaigning Thursday in Hamirpur, focusing on canvassing for the bypolls.

The Congress camp has raised local issues, claiming that Anurag is facing “anti-incumbency”. It is showcasing the Sukhu government’s achievements, especially the restoration of Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and roll-out of Rs 1,500 per month to women of the state.

The Agniveer scheme has also emerged as a key issue in Hamirpur as it has a sizeable number of serving army personnel and ex-servicemen. The Congress has pledged to scrap this scheme, alleging it denies youths regular jobs and pension in the army.

Hamirpur has however been a BJP stronghold, where Anurag is looking to have a smooth sailing for fifth time. In 2019, he had defeated the Congress’s Ram Lal Thakur by about 4 lakh votes.