|
|
|
|
|
61 years: From zero politics to full-on battles
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
BJP issues list of candidates
Rebellion may mar prospects of BJP candidates
Two nominations filed
Mandi Sadar BJP leader Shyam Lal resigns
Virbhadra’s brother-in-law opposes Cong candidate
Cong faces dissidence in Una, Kutlehar
Cong leader’s appeal to high command
Congress govt will be fair and lawful: Virbhadra
43 history sheeters rounded up in Kangra
Standing committee formed
24 Congress leaders resign
Vungzamuan, Meena are observers for Sirmour
Three killed as bus overturns
List of constituencies
Chief Ministers thus far
|
|||||||||||
|
As state matures, BJP steps into Congress monopoly
Six decades of democratic process has seen the hill state mature from a Congress monopoly to a bipolar polity, with the BJP coming up as the primary alternative.
The growth of the electoral process is also apparent from the fact that in the first Assembly elections held in 1951, only 25 per cent of the 5,31,018-strong electorate cast their vote, whereas in the 2007 elections, the polling percentage saw a high of 71.61 per cent. The first election was held with 28 constituencies, but as there were eight double-member constituencies, the House was 36 strong. In 1957, the state was converted into a Territorial Council, with 29 constituencies (12 double-member seats), with a House strength of 41. In 1961, the double-member seats were abolished, and instead 12 new reserved constituencies were created for the Scheduled Castes. The Assembly was again revived in July 1963, and the existing members of the Territorial Council became its members. The number of the constituencies increased to 60 when the hill areas of Punjab were merged in 1966, and there were also three nominated members then. Rise of Opposition
There was no organised opposition in the state till ’66, and the Congress dominated the political scene, though a large number of candidates were elected as Independents. It was only after the merger of Punjab areas that the Jan Sangh appeared on the scene, winning seven seats in 1967, with a vote share of 13.87 per cent. The CPI also bagged two seats. The complexion of the Assembly changed again when Himachal became a full-fledged state in 1971. The number of constituencies was raised to 68, and the first election was held in 1972, which was swept by the Congress, polling 53.24 per cent votes to bag 53 seats. The Jan Sangh won just five seats, but seven Independents were also among the winners. The Congress citadel was finally demolished by the Janata wave in 1977, when the Congress polled only 27 per cent votes, and its tally of seats came down to nine, while the Janata Party won 53 seats, polling 49 per cent votes. The vote share of Independents increased to 21.1 per cent, and six of them were elected. The Janata Party disintegrated in 1980, but it had ended the Congress monopoly and laid the foundation for a virtual two-party system in the
state. BJP joins fray
The BJP emerged as the main opposition in the state following a split in the Janata Party. In the 1982 Assembly polls, it won 29 seats, with 35.15 per cent votes, while the Congress got only 31 seats — despite a vote share of 42.52 per cent — and failed to get a clear majority. The Janata Party, CPI and the CPM accounted for just 8 per cent votes. Taking advantage of the sympathy wave in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the Congress went for snap Assembly elections in 1985, and secured a massive majority, winning 58 out of the 68 seats. The BJP could win only seven. Thereafter, the Congress and the BJP have been winning Assembly elections by turns. The BJP won the 1990 polls, contesting in alliance with the Janata
Dal. It won 48 seats and the Janata Dal 11, while the Congress came in a poor third with just nine. However, the BJP government could not complete the term, as it was dismissed after LK Advani’s Rath
Yatra, which helped the Congress stage a comeback with a thumping majority in 1993, winning 54 seats. The BJP managed just eight. Taking turns
In 1998, the BJP failed to get a majority, but managed to form the government with the support of the Himachal Vikas Congress, a breakaway group of the Congress led by Sukh Ram. The Congress again turned the tables on the BJP in 2003, bagging 43 seats. The BJP won 16 seats, but the HVC was almost wiped out, getting only one. Continuing the alternating sequence, the BJP again came to power in the 2007 polls, winning 41 seats, while the Congress dropped to 23. Will the trend continue and the Congress form the government after this election, or will the ruling BJP accomplish its “Mission Repeat”? We will have the answer on December 20, when the results for the 2012 encounter will be
declared. |
|
|
|
|
BJP issues list of candidates
Shimla, October 10 The inordinate delay in the ticket finalisation could also not favour IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi whose efforts to dislodge ministerial colleague Ramesh Dhawala from Jwalamukhi did not yield desired results. With Shanta remaining steadfast on not accommodating Ravi from Jwalamukhi, the high command has asked him to move to Dehra after his own segment of Thural was scrapped in the delimitation process. Shanta managed to have a say in Kangra and Chamba districts, especially in his opposition to take back and field Rakesh Pathania and shift Dhawala to Dehra. He could, however, not ensure the ticket for his loyalist Tulsi Ram, who was the Assembly Speaker. The party has fielded Suresh Chandel, former MP from Bilaspur, a seat vacated by BJP national general secretary JP Nadda. Even in Fatehpur, Kangra, the party has given the ticket to Baldev Thakur, denying the claim of wife and brother of Lok Sabha MP Rajan Sushant. In its bid to counter anti-incumbency, the BJP has introduced 26 new faces. Seema Mehta has been fielded from Chopal and Ishwar Rohal from Shimla (Rural). The maximum number of 30 BJP candidates belong to the Rajput community with a sizeable number also belonging to the OBC community. The party has axed the ticket of five legislators Roop Singh (Sundernagar), Des Raj (Indora), Dile Ram (Nachan), Tulsi Ram (Bharmour) and Khushi Ram Balnatah (Rohru). Two associate members of the BJP who had won as Independents in the 2007 poll - Sanjay Chaudhary (Kangra) and Rakesh Verma (Theog) - have found place in the BJP list with Rakesh Pathania (Nurpur) being denied the ticket. A prominent omission in the list has been that of Roop Singh, a former minister and six-time MLA from Sundernagar. Though far from the 33 per cent quota being sought by women, the BJP has fielded seven women as compared to four by the Congress. These include sitting MLAs Shraveen Chaudhray (Shahpur), Urmil Thakur (Sujanpur), Renu Chaddha (Dalhousie) and Vinod Chandel (Doon) and new entrants Seema Mehta (Chopal), Reeta Dhiman (Indora) and Sheila Devi (Solan). List of BJP candidates
|
|
Rebellion may mar prospects of BJP candidates
Shimla, October 10 With the latest rebellion in Dehra, the ruling BJP is faced with revolt in almost 15 Assembly segments in the state. Parmar, a staunch Dhumal loyalist, had been working in the Dehra segment for the past two years and with the party fielding Ravi, he has decided to contest as an Independent nominee. “I have made up my mind to fight as an Independent not just to protest against the injustice meted out to me but to fight Ravi, who is the symbol of corruption in the present BJP regime,” he said. He added that he would hold a meeting with his supporters tomorrow morning and announce his future plans as it appears that Ravi was indispensable. The situation in Indora constituency in Kangra too is likely to be problematic with sitting MLA, Des Raj having been denied the ticket. He had been seeking the ticket for his son and he is now likely to queer the pitch for the party nominee, Reeta Dhiman. In the Kangra constituency too, giving of the party ticket to Sanjay Chaudhary, sitting MLA who won on the BSP ticket to join the BJP later, could also lead to rebellion by a strong aspirant, Pawan Kajal. The BJP is likely to face open rebellion even in Sundernagar in Mandi where former minister and sitting BJP legislator, Roop Singh has been denied the ticket. He too had sought the party ticket for his son. In Nachan constituency in Mandi, Dile Ram, sitting BJP MLA, has already resigned from the party and is likely to contest as an Independent. Assembly Speaker Tulsi Ram, who has been denied the ticket from Bharmour, is also likely to field his wife Leela Sharma, a zila parishad member, against the official party nominee, Jiya Lal. Kinnuar MLA, Tejwant Negi finally managed to get the party ticket but former MLA Chet Ram will be contesting as an Independent. Former BJP candidate from Rampur Birj Lal has already joined the Congress and party MLA from Rohru has not only quit the BJP but decided to contest from Kasumpti on Himachal Lokhit Party ticket. Rebellion have not left the home district of Chief Minister PK Dhumal untouched as his protégé, Rajinder Rana, has decided to jump into the fray as an Independent, opposing candidature of sitting MLA Urmil Thakur from Hamirpur, who has been shifted to Suajnpur. Voices of dissent could mar chances of BJP candidates in several other constituencies, including Kullu, Chamba, Chopal, Nahan and Bilapsur, unless and until the leadership can placate them. |
|
Two nominations filed
Shimla, October 10 Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer Narinder Chauhan issued instructions regarding pasting of posters, pamphlets, flags and against defacement of walls and public places in any other form. It would be ensured that the permitted display places were not dominated or monopolised by any particular party or candidate. All parties and candidates would be provided equal opportunity. If the local law did not permit writing on the walls, pasting of posters and similar other permanent or semi-permanent defacement which was not removable, the same would not be permitted even with the consent of the owner of the property. Political parties, candidates, workers and supporters could hoist one party flag showing their election symbol on their own property, provided they did so voluntarily and without any pressure from any party. No cut-outs, hoardings or banners of the nature of political advertisement would be allowed on any private property. If any political party or candidate indulged in defacement of any property in violation of the local law, the Returning Officer would issue notice to the offender for removing the defacement forthwith. If prompt action was not taken, the district authorities would remove the defacement and the expenses incurred in the process would be recovered from the political party. The Chief Electoral Officer also directed that display of flags and stickers would not be permitted on commercial vehicles, unless such vehicles were used for election campaign after obtaining the requisite permission. Modified vehicles and special campaign vehicles like video rath could be used only after obtaining the requisite permission from the competent authorities under the Motor Vehicles Act.
|
|
|
Mandi Sadar BJP leader Shyam Lal resigns
Mandi, October 10 This came a fresh jolt to the BJP in the district as Roop Singh became the second sitting MLA who has denied the party ticket after BJP district president and Nachan MLA Dileram, who has also threatened to contest the election, as the party reposed its faith in a newcomer, Vinod Kumar. Roop Singh has been holding public meetings even till today in his constituency. He was a minister in the Shanta Kumar government, but PK Dhumal sidelined him. But his hopes were dashed to the ground by Rakesh Jamval, a former Yuva Morcha chief and a supporter of Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who finally got the ticket, pushing Roop Singh to the brink at the fag-end of his political career. Though his supporters have rallied around him and have decided to announce a future course of action tomorrow, Roop Singh’s worst fears came true today as the party high command also pushed him out. With support from the organising secretary Mohinder Pande, Jai Ram Thakur propelled both Jamval and Darang BJP nominee Jawahar Thakur into politics when he was the state party president during the last Assembly elections. BJP leaders were impressed by the show of strength Jamval had put up during the Kansa Chowk rally in which Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley was the main speaker last month. In Mandi Sadar, Shyam Lal, a zila parishad member, today resigned from the party and announced to contest as a rebel against DD Thakur, who filed his nomination today. Unfazed by the BJP rebel, DD Thakur asserted he would emerge as a winner as the BJP government
had done good work in the constituency. |
|
|
Virbhadra’s brother-in-law opposes Cong candidate
Shimla, October 10 Vir Vikram Singh, who heads the Kasumpti Block Congress Committee unit, convened a meeting here today at which a resolution opposing the candidature was passed and the unit also decided to resign en masse if the decision was not reviewed. The unit also assured support in case any other candidate was fielded from the seat. They made it clear that Anirudh was not acceptable to the party cadre. Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh, was among the front runners for the party ticket for the seat along with Kuldeep Rathore, HPCC general secretary, who is close to Anand Sharma. The seat has been de-reserved after the delimitation and it is for the first time that general category candidates will be contesting from the same. The Congress high command denied the ticket to Pratibha Singh on the ground that only one member from a family will be allowed to contest. Since Virbhadra was contesting from Shimla (Rural), she could not be considered. Party sources said Anirudh Singh was given the ticket under the Youth Congress quota and this was the reason that he was picked up ahead of Kuldeep Rathore. It will be a tough call for Virbhadra to resolve the issue as his own wife and brother-in-law are involved in the matter. Onus will be on him to sort out the matter and if the party failed to find an amicable solution, it could undermine its winning prospects in the seat as the family of Pratibha Singh, who hails from the erstwhile princely state of Junga, has considerable clout in the constituency. |
|
Cong faces dissidence in Una, Kutlehar
Una, October 10 In case the party did not change its decision to allot the ticket to greenhorn Satpal Raizada till October 14, he would file papers as an Independent. Rattan reportedly said he could not ignore the sentiments of his supporters, who are not ready to accept the denial of ticket to him. The sources said Rattan was being approached by leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and he might join the TMC to contest from Una. In the Kutlehar Assembly constituency also, Des Raj has reportedly urged the Congress high command to change the party ticket allotted to Ram Dass Malangar. He has also stated that his supporters were urging him to contest as an Independent from Kutlehar. Malangar is a former deputy speaker and BJP leader. He left the BJP and joined the Congress after being denied the party ticket. The sources said some old BJP workers from the Kutlehar segment have joined Malangar. Malangar is considered to be an honest leader from the area who can put up a fight against the BJP that has been winning from the constituency for the past over two decades. However, till date he is not getting the support of Congress leaders from the constituency who are sore at being denied the party ticket. The sources said things might change after visit of Virbhadra Singh to the area. Des Raj, who is threatening to contest as an Independent, is a close confidant of Virbhadra and might give up the idea after persuasion by him. BJP candidate from Kutlehar segment, Varinder Kanwar would have to fight the anti-incumbency factor in the area.
|
|
Cong leader’s appeal to high command
Paonta Sahib, October 10 Jung while addressing his supporters said if the decision was not reconsidered he would decide the next course of action after consulting his supporters. While he desisted from announcing to contest as an independent candidate, several other leaders who addressed the gathering urged him to contest if the decision was not reversed. Avtar Singh, former chairman of the local Municipal Committee, while addressing the gathering opposed the party ticket to Onkar Singh and said Jung’s claim was justified. Avneet Singh, general secretary of the Youth Congress for the Shimla parliamentary seat, also came out in support of Jung and said it was unjust to deny him a ticket as he was a winning candidate. While Jung was awaiting for a positive response from the party high command, his supporters were forcing him to announce his candidature as an independent candidate. The Paonta Sahib block (Congress) has already announced their support for Karnesh. Block Congress Committee president Surjeet Singh said it was unfair to deny him the ticket as he had been working for the constituency from the past five years. While Onkar Singh, who is chairman of the local Municipal Committee is also the president of the Sirmaur Truck operators Union, has sprung a surprise by managing to procure the party ticket.
|
|
Congress govt will be fair and lawful: Virbhadra
Chamba, October 10 Virbhadra urged the masses to overthrow the corrupt Dhumal government in the interest of the welfare of the state. He also announced that the Congress government would implement the Punjab pay scales to the Himachal Pradesh employees. He cautioned the employers that the Dhumal government was misusing the employees for its political purposes. Congress candidate from the Chamba constituency Pawan Nayyar also spoke on the occasion and appealed to the public to vote for the Congress. Earlier, Virbhadra Singh launched the election campaign from the Bharmour tribal township and arrived at Chamba after covering the Pangi tribal area. Congress candidates Asha Kumari from the Dalhousie constituency, Kuldip Pathania from Bhattiyat and Surinder Bhardwaj from the Churah constituency of the district were present at the public meeting. |
|
43 history sheeters rounded up in Kangra
Dharamsala, October 10 Kangra SP Diljeet Thakur said 11 history sheeters had been arrested on non-bailable warrants and 32 others had arrested as a preventive measure in the district. He said there were 1,545 polling booths in the district out of which 136 had been declared as hyper-sensitive. The district police had raised 18 nakas, especially, on entry points to the state from Punjab to prevent smuggling of liquor and other equipment during the elections. There had been reports that some miscreants might try to smuggle in liquor during elections. He further said all arms holders in the district had also been directed to deposit their arms and ammunition at their nearest police stations.
|
|
Standing committee formed
Nurpur, October 10 The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), executive engineers of the Public Works, Irrigation-cum-Public Health departments, Divisional Forest Officer, Block Medical Officer, Executive Officer, Nurpur Municipal Council and candidates contesting the Assembly elections will be members of the committee. Verma said this committee would play a pivotal role in the fair, free and peaceful Assembly elections in this subdivision. |
|
|
24 Congress leaders resign
Kullu, October 10 They have submitted their resignations to state party president Virbhadra Singh and party high command Sonia Gandhi and have asked the party to review its decision in three days or Dhami will contest from Manali as an independent candidate. Dhami, who joined the Congress last month after Virbhadra Singh assumed the party command in the state, was a hot contender from Manali. Similarly, Negi has also sought ticket from Manali and both are supporters of
Virbhadra. |
|
Vungzamuan, Meena are observers for Sirmour
Nahan, October 10 District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Padam Singh Chauhan said, “Vungzamuan has been appointed for 58-Paonta and 59-Shillai constituencies. He will be available at the CCI guest house, Rajban, and his mobile number is 9805625632. Sumer Singh Meena will be observer for 55-Pachhad, 56-Nahan and 57-Renukaji and his mobile number is 98056-25618. He will stay at the Nahan Circuit House.” |
|
Three killed as bus overturns
Kangra, October 10 Kangra Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dinesh Kumar said a private bus carrying 55 pilgrims was on its way to Jwalamukhi from Kangra. DSP Dinesh Kumar said while Vijay Kumar and bus driver Satyan Verma were killed on the spot, the third injured pilgrim succumbed to his injuries at the DRPGMC Hospital, Tanda. |
|
These are Assembly constituencies as they were till the 2007 elections. For the 2012 polls, there has been a fresh delimitation.
|
|
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
He gave up his brief but distinguished judicial career for the ‘cause of hill people’ and led the Hill State Peoples Conference. Dr Parmar led the Satyagraha Movement in the then Suket state, which culminated in the formation of Himachal Pradesh in 1948. He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly, and became the automatic choice to head the government after the Congress won the first Assembly elections in the state. A Territorial Council was created in 1957, governed by the Centre.
Apr 1983-1985:
Virbhadra Singh
He remained in jail during Emergency, and being leader of the erstwhile Jan Sangh — largest constituent of the Janata Party — became Chief Minister. He laid emphasis on piped water supply and set up a separate Department of Irrigation and Public Health.
Jan-Apr 1977: Ram Lal
1998-2003:
P.K. Dhumal