Election Watch | Job promises & his legacy in arsenal, Virbhadra’s son begins Cong poll charge in Himachal

“Every time I am approached by a youngster, the main grouse is a lack of jobs,” says the MLA. “We are a state with a huge youth population and they have been abandoned by the ruling party (the BJP). There are lakhs of people without job security. Many of them are looking for jobs outside the state, which is eventually a loss for us. We have to bring the focus back to employment. Job creation is our most important party promise.”

Vikramaditya’s convoy stops at every few turns so that he can greet people waving at him. The car halts briefly at a rest house in Chindi, where a brief discussion with party workers ensues about the agenda for the day.

The cavalcade then starts for the first public meeting of the day. It has been organised at the market area in the town of Karsog and the cars ditch the main highway for a narrow road alongside the valley. By then, locals have gathered on the roofs of their homes to greet the MLA. This is the first Assembly election that the Congress will face after Virbhadra Singh’s death in July 2021 and for many Himachalis the former CM’s wife Pratibha, who is now the state Congress president, and Vikramaditya are extensions of “Raja Sahab”, as Virbhadra was popularly known.

The Congress is gearing up for the Assembly elections in November with the yatra, an outreach initiative in line with the Bharat Jodo Yatra that former party president Rahul Gandhi is currently leading. (Express photo)

The first major challenge for the Congress after the former CM’s death was the bypolls held last November. “The bypolls were challenging emotionally since the death was recent. There was very little time to recover but it had to be done. And we won all the seats,” says Vikramaditya, adding, “The people know that the state has been virtually built by Virbhadra ji.”

A local, Sanjay Thakur, says, “The current MLA from Karsog is from the BJP. But there is no guarantee for a repeat here. Virbhadra Singh left a legacy. He, too, in his prime, lost elections. No one can predict the outcome. Inflation and rising expenses might play a factor.”

At the market, more than 500 people, several of them carrying Congress banners, are huddled on a narrow incline. An LED screen mounted on top of a van shows visuals of Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. People join in and walk two kilometres to reach the bus stand where Vikramaditya is set to speak.

In his speech, the MLA hits out at the BJP’s “false promises”. Claiming that the “Congress laid the foundation of the developmental projects in the state”, he blames the BJP for “appropriating” them. He adds that the Freedom of Religion Act — which the BJP amended in 2022 — was introduced in 2019 by the Congress government to “ensure there were no forceful conversions”.

On his way to CM Jairam Thakur’s backyard Janjheli, the next stop, the Congress leader says, “In the hill state, politics is issue-based. The identity and religion card do not resonate. There is little space for communalism and people want to see development.”

The route from Karsog to Janjheli is uneven and littered with broken boulders. “We are very much in the CM’s area. Development is visible,” Vikramaditya quips. He makes a brief stop at a guesthouse in a ravine at Seraj, where a dozen workers await with garlands.

Asked about rising factionalism in the party and the fight over his father’s legacy, the legislator says, “There is no denying that there is factionalism in the party. And it will only intensify till the ticket distribution is carried out. But the party is pulling out all the stops in this election.”

In Jhanjheli, a pandal has been put up to welcome the Congress leader. A local cook feeds the crowd kachodi, curd, and some pickle. A local presents a Himachali cap to Vikramaditya. Many refer to him as “tikka (prince)” and he remains the focal point of discussion of all those present.

The Shimla (Rural) MLA talks to the crowd about his party’s promise of providing benefits worth Rs 680 crore for start-ups and a mention of Rahul Gandhi is met with applause. As the day sets and the weather in the hill hamlet starts getting chilly, the event draws to an end. Given that Jhanjheli is part of the CM’s turf, Congress functionaries are pleased with the turnout.

“For all practical purposes, election campaigning has begun,” says Vikramaditya. “Many people are connecting to the party through social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. We want the best for the youth and the change is here. The BJP will not succeed in its ‘Mission Repeat’.”