THE HIMACHAL ELECTION NEXUS

The Himachal Pradesh election results seem to have reversed old equations within BJP’s state unit. After a gap of almost 19 years, former Union minister Shanta Kumar’s loyalists are at the fore again, while the band headed by the party’s CM candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal and his son Anurag Thakur seem to be on the backfoot. While Dhumal and his loyalists lost the assembly polls, the strike rate of Shanta’s supporters was much better. BJP has secured 15 of the 17 assembly seats in the Kangra parliamentary constituency, represented by Shanta. On the other hand, in Hamirpur, parliamentary constituency, represented by Thakur, BJP secured 10 out of total 16 seats. Out of the five seats in Hamirpur — the home district of Dhumals — BJP lost three to Congress. Among those owing allegiance to Dhumal, former state minister Ravinder Ravi from Dehra, Randheer Sharma from Naina Devi, Anurag’s father-in-law Gulab Singh Thakur from Jogindernagar, Maheshwar Singh from Kullu, and state party chief Satpal Satti from Una lost. From Shanta’s camp, Kishan Kapoor from Dharamshala, Vipan Parmar from Sullah, Ramesh Dhawala from Jawalamukhi, Arjun Singh from Jawali and Reeta Dhiman from Indora have won. Shanta has served both as Himachal CM and as a Union minister. His claim to the CM’s office were first put aside in 1998 when BJP decided to anoint Dhumal as CM. Differences between Dhumal and Shanta are well known in the region and the gap only grew during the BJP government’s tenure from 2007 to 12, when Dhumal was the CM. The tiff between the two tallest leaders of BJP in the state was said to be partly the reason for the party’s defeat in the 2012 assembly elections.

By- Nikita Goel, Convenor, Student Reporter Committee, INBA