Shimla, November 10
With the opposition Congress losing its bastion of Rohru and the BJP coming a cropper in its traditional stronghold of Jawali, the by-elections to the two seats have thrown up a no-win situation for the two parties.
The saffron flag flew high for the first time in Rohru, a seat held by former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for five terms, as Khushi Ram Balnatah registered an impressive victory, defeating his Congress rival Manjit Singh Thakur by 8,473 votes. The Congress lost the seat only for the second time, the first occasion being in 1977.
The euphoria of the historic win in Rohru was watered down by defeat in its stronghold of Jawali, in the largest and politically most significant Kangra district of the state. The Congress candidate, Sujan Singh Pathania, trounced the greenhorn Baldev Raj by a
margin of 5,249 votes.
The electoral loss has serious implications for both parties but the leaders are playing up only the victory to shift focus from defeat. Factionalism taking precedence over merit, the BJP erred in selection of the candidate in Jawali as did the Congress in Rohru. The intense infighting after the allotment of ticket led to a revolt by local leaders.
The debacle in Rohru, an invincible citadel of the Congress, is not only bound to cast its shadow on Virbhadra Singh, but it has put the entire leadership in the dock. The party had a hard time organising its campaign and the last-ditch effort in the final leg by Virbhadra Singh and PCC chief Kaul Singh could not contain the damage. The BJP, on the other hand, miserably failed to put its house in order in Jawali and party rebel Madan Sharma, who managed only 3,580 votes, created enough confusion to ensure the defeat of the official candidate.
