Shimla, May 17
The fact that the Congress managed to secure a lead in only eight of the 68 Assembly segments in the state is a clear indication of the falling graph of the party within 15 months since it assumed power in the state. Most of the heavyweights, including ministers, failed to fight the BJP onslaught.

The vote share of the Congress has shown a steady decline of more than 5 per cent in each of the last three Lok Sabha polls. The votes polled by the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha election was 45.61 which now has come down to 40.7 per cent. The party’s vote share in the 2004 polls when it had won three seats was 51.89 per cent.

The Congress as well as the government can take defence in the plea that nothing worked against the unassailable Modi wave as was the case in other parts of the country, but the fact is that the party will have to pull up its socks to prevent its graph from falling further. Leaders with a strong base will have to be given prominence in the organisation and not those who have personal allegiance.

The Congress could not secure a lead even in one Assembly segment out of a total of 17 constituencies in Kangra where former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar won by over 1.70 lakh votes. Similarly, in the Hamirpur Lok Sabha segment, the Congress secured a lead of 6,960 only in the Haroli segment in Una district represented by Mukesh Agnihotri. The only other minister in whose segment the Congress led was Thakur Singh Bharmouri by only 1,564 votes.

In the eight segments from where the Congress did get a lead, five are part of the Mandi Lok Sabha segment. The five include the three tribal segments of Kinnaur, Bharmour and Lahaul-Spiti and Rampur in Shimla district and Seraj in Mandi. The Congress managed to get a lead from three segments of Rohru in Shimla and Shillai and Renuka in Sirmour.

Despite a majority of the chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations hailing from Shimla and Sirmour districts, the Congress suffered a real drubbing. The fact that the strong base of the party in its citadel of Shimla is crumbling is also a cause of major concern and a pointer towards the fact that leaders with a strong base must not be ignored. The not-so-good relations between the party organisation and the government have also impacted party prospects adversely. The lacklustre performance of the state government coupled with an erratic public distribution system (PDS) and price rise also led to resentment among the masses.

The fact that there is a lack of coordination between the party organisation and the government has also adversely affected the party’s poll prospects. In fact, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu failed to get a lead in his own Assembly segment of Nadaun in Hamirpur. The performance of the party was no better in the segments of majority of the state office-bearers. 

Dharamsala, May 17
The massive defeat of the Congress in most of the Assembly constituencies in the Kangra parliamentary constituency has left party leaders in the area shocked.

The Congress has 10 MLAs in Kangra district, who won with a thumping majority just about 18 months ago in the Assembly polls, but have now got a drubbing in the Lok Sabha poll results declared yesterday. Three of them are sitting ministers, including Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Transport and Technical Education GS Bali and Minister for Agriculture Sujan Singh Pathania. Himachal Vidhan Sabha Speaker BB Butail and two parliamentary secretaries Neeraj Kumar and Jagjivan Paul are also from Kangra district.

In the Dharamsala Assembly constituency, represented by Sudhir Sharma, the BJP won by 8,042 votes. In the Nagrota Bagwan represented by GS Bali, the BJP won by 10,564 votes. In the Fatehpur Assembly constituency, represented by Sujan Singh Pathania, the BJP won by a margin of 9,899 votes. In Palampur, represented by BB Butail, the BJP won by 11,426 votes.

The parliamentary secretaries were also defeated in their respective constituencies. The BJP candidate won by 12,798 votes in Sullah and by 1,650 votes in Jawali. The Congress could not win in Jawali, represented by Parliamentary Secretary for Education Neeraj Kumar, son of Congress candidate Chander Kumar.

It was after about two decades that the BJP got a lead of 10,674 votes in the Nagrota Bagwan Assembly constituency.

In the Shahpur Assembly constituency, where Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh patched up with Vijai Singh Mankotia during the elections, the party was routed. The BJP won from the Shahpur Assembly constituency by a margin of 14,251 votes.

Minister of Housing, Town and Country Planning Sudhir Sharma, when asked to comment on the defeat of the Congress in his Assembly constituency, said people had made up their mind to vote for the BJP. The Congress had to improve its working to come up to the expectations of people, he added.

GS Bali, when contacted, said the results were a surprise for the Congress. “The results do not reflect on the performance of the state government,” he added. “The people wanted a change at the Centre. We will analyse the factors that led to a massive mandate for the BJP in Kangra,” he said.

Some Congress leaders, on the condition of anonymity, said there was infighting within the party in the last 18 months of their government’s rule and that did not reflect on them as a cohesive unit.

Some Congress leaders said the BJP move to bring rebels back into the party fold helped it in Kangra. The party absorbed most of the rebels who had left the party during the last Assembly polls and this helped it win by a huge margin in Kangra, it was opined.

Palampur, May 17
Shanta Kumar, Member of Parliament and senior BJP leader, who is in-charge of organisational affairs of the BJP in Punjab, today stated that rampant corruption in the administration and alleged involvement of Akali leaders in drug and liquor mafia were among the factors that went against the BJP-Akali Dal alliance in the parliamentary elections in Punjab.

In an exclusive interview with The Tribune at his residence here, Shanta said he had specifically cautioned Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal in this regard three months back and asked them to initiate effective steps to get out of this image as it would go against them in the parliamentary elections.

Shanta said later Sukhbir Badal, Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, met him in New Delhi. He said he told the Deputy CM that the situation was not favorable for the Akali-BJP alliance in Punjab as every functionary of the government was reportedly involved in various corruption scams.

He said he had told both Badals that the common man was fed up with the functioning of the Akali-BJP government because development activities had come to a standstill; one had to bribe official machinery for petty matters and law and order situation had moved from bad to worse. He said it was evident from the fact that the Aam Aadmi Party managed to win four seats in Punjab.

Referring to the defeat of Arun Jaitley in Amritsar, Shanta said it was unfortunate for the party. He said Jaitley had become a victim of anti-incumbency and peoples' anger against the Punjab Government, particularly the Akali Dal.

He said drugs, liquor and mining remained a major election issues in Amritsar because of the alleged involvement of certain leaders, therefore people voted against the Akali Dal-BJP alliance.

Shimla, May 17
The BJP which won all four Lok Sabha seats from the state and exploded the myth that people of the state go with the party in power also created a record of sorts by securing the highest percentage of votes.

The BJP secured 53.3 per cent votes (16,52,995) against 40.7 per cent (12,60,477) votes polled by the Congress which was higher than the previous highest percentage of 51.44 per cent in 1998 when the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls were held simultaneously. The Congress polled 41.90 per cent votes in 1998 and won the Shimla seat, while the BJP bagged three seats.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha poll, when the BJP was in power in the state, it won three seats polling 49.58 per cent (13,33,774), while the Congress which won the Mandi seat got 45.61 per cent votes and polled 12,26,933 votes. The polling percentage was the highest at 66.32 in 1998, while it was 65.18 per cent in 2014.

Even in the 2004 Lok Sabha poll, the BJP which lost all four seats, was able to get 44.24 per cent votes, while the Congress secured 51.89 per cent votes.

The BJP which forged an alliance with the Himachal Jan Congress (HJC) in the 1999 Lok Sabha poll and contested three seats, polled 46.27 per cent votes in the Lok Sabha poll against 39.52 per cent votes polled by the Congress. The BJP won all three seats, while the HJC, which won the Shimla seat polled, 12.37 per cent votes.

In the 1996 Lok Sabha poll, the BJP lost all four seats and polled 39.62 per cent votes, while the Congress secured 54.33 per cent votes. In 1991, the BJP and Congress shared two seats each, but the Congress polled 46.16 per cent votes against 42.79 per cent votes polled by the BJP.

In the 1989 polls, the BJP won three out of four seats and polled 45.25 per cent votes against 41.97 per cent votes polled by the Congress. In 1984 polls, held after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Congress swept the polls and got 67.58 per cent votes against 23.27 per cent votes polled by the BJP, which drew a blank.

In the 1980 Lok Sabha poll, the BJP was not in existence and the then Janta Party, of which the present BJP was a major constituent, polled 36.38 per cent votes, while the Congress got 52.08 per cent votes and made a clean sweep.

Solan, May 17
The poll rout of various Congress leaders who have been occupying plum posts in the government in Assembly segments concerned has created an embarrassing situation for them.

Several Congress leaders in Solan and Sirmaur districts have been enjoying status akin to Cabinet ministers after being elevated to various plum posts. The list includes Ajay Bahadur, Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Cooperative Marketing and Consumer Federation, and Satya Parmar, Chairperson, Social Welfare Board.

Parmar is wife of former MLA Kush Parmar who had lost the last Vidhan Sabha poll. Despite the duo hailing from Nahan, the Congress could not improve its prospects in this Assembly segment and it trailed by 9,183 votes.

The lone saving grace for the Congress in Sirmaur was the lead of 879 and 2,421 secured in Renuka and Shillai respectively. Vinay Kumar, MLA Renuka Jee, is serving as the Chief Parliamentary Secretary in the state government. The Congress also elevated KS Tomar, as Chairman, HP Public Service Commission. The BJP secured the second highest lead of 16,849 from this segment.

Former MLA GR Musafir was elevated as the Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board after he lost the Vidhan Sabha poll from the Pacchad seat. The BJP has secured a lead of 392 votes in the constituency he contested in.

Prakash Karar, who had forfeited his security deposit in the 2007 Vidhan Sabha polls, was elevated as the vice-chairman, Small Savings Corporation. The Congress trailed by as many as 8,849 votes from this Assembly segment, which reflected poorly on the party’s performance and his contribution to the party.

Yet another favourite enjoying a plum post in Solan is Hardeep Bawa, who is the Chairman, HP Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. The BJP secured the highest lead of 17,526 from this segment in the Shimla Lok Sabha constituency.

Shimla, May 17
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, today approved the signing of an MoU with the Government of India for setting up one more medical college in Hamirpur.

The college with a capacity of 100 MBBS seats will be set up at a cost of Rs 189 crore under the scheme of the Government of India to establish new colleges. The cost will be shared by the Centre and the state in ratio 90:10.

The state has already signed a similar MoU with the Government of India for setting up medical colleges at Chamba and Nahan.

The Cabinet also gave its approval for the installation of water ATMs in selected towns at Mata Chintpurani in Una, Chamunda Mata Mandir, Kangra mandir, Dharamsala (near Rainbow School Dari) in Kangra, Vikasnagar, The Ridge, ISBT Tutikandi and the local bus stand and the IGMC in Shimla on the built, operate, manage and maintain (BOMM) basis.

The nod to fill up eight posts of civil defence instructor, platoon commander, chief instructor, administrative officer, assistant store officer, civil defence instructor, wireless operator and wireless mechanic on a contract basis in the Home Guards and Civil Defence Directorate was also given.

It gave the ex-post facto approval for filling four vacant posts of Assistant Registrar Cooperative Societies (Class-II Gazetted) in the pay band of Rs 10,300-34,800 plus grade pay Rs 5,000 for the HAS examination-2012.

On the cards The Cabinet gave its approval for the installation of water ATMs in selected towns at Mata Chintpurani in Una, Chamunda Mata Mandir, Kangra mandir, Dharamsala (near Rainbow School Dari) in Kangra, Vikasnagar, The Ridge, ISBT Tutikandi and the local bus stand and the IGMC in Shimla on the built, operate, manage and maintain (BOMM) basis. Eight posts of civil defence instructor, platoon commander, chief instructor, administrative officer, assistant store officer, civil defence instructor, wireless operator and wireless mechanic on a contract basis to be filled up in the Home Guards and Civil Defence Directorate

Kullu, May 17
After the 44-week-long comprehensive training, 433 recruits were inducted into the Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) force at the Basic Training Centre at Shamshi, 8 km from here, today.

The passing-out parade was inspected by SSB IG Renuka Mishra who took the salute and distributed the prizes to the distinguished trainees. In her address, she said during the past 51 years the SSB had protected the 2450-km-long international borders and had provided services in Naxal and terrorist-hit regions.

She congratulated the new entrants and urged them to carry out their duties honestly to protect the country’s interests.

Earlier, Sanjeev Yadav, Commandant of the centre, welcomed the chief guest and listed the achievements of the training centre. The vibrant show by the SSB Central Band enthralled the audience.

Shimla, May 17
It's apparently sunny days for health-conscious residents here. The first health restaurant of the town has come up near the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital in the heart of the state capital.

The restaurant is committed to providing oil-free and fat-free food at affordable rates, which will be a boon for patients admitted in hospitals, their attendants and people at large.

Restaurant owner Sushant Nag, who carries the legacy of the 48-year-old Nagsons Hotel, says his primary concern is healthy food based on naturopathy, while commercial interests are secondary. The restaurant was inaugurated on Friday by Anju Nag, owner's mother.

"I have seen helpless patients and their attendants forced to take stale junk food in unhygienic conditions," he adds. The restaurant will also provide free health consultancy and give dietary guidance to patients to help them recover faster.

Studies have revealed that a healthy diet helps in reducing fatigue, digestive complaints, mood disorders and depression, allergies, behavioural problems, musculo-skeletal complaints including arthritis, high blood pressure, endocrine disturbance, eyesight problems, fertility issues, cardiovascular problems, hormonal imbalances and diabetes.

The restaurant has so far received a good response, with doctors at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital terming it as a good initiative to follow time-tested practices in an improvised manner and propagate nutritious low-calorie and low-sugar food, which is beneficial for the body.

Sundernagar, May 17
With the historic win of BJP candidate Ram Swaroop Sharma from the Mandi parliamentary constituency who defeated Pratibha Singh (Congress candidate), wife of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, by a margin of 39,856 votes, BJP workers have now started questioning the role of Jai Ram Thakur, BJP MLA from the Seraj Assembly segment, the only Assembly segment of Mandi district where the Congress candidate got a lead of 1,491 votes.

Out of the 17 Assembly segments, the BJP has taken a lead in 12 Assembly segments. During the bypoll held in 2013 in the Mandi parliamentary constituency, BJP candidate Jai Ram Thakur got lead from the Seraj Assembly segment, while the Congress was way ahead in 16 Assembly segments and won by a huge margin of 1,36,000 votes.

This time, the BJP got votes ranging between 7,000 and 20,000 in nine Assembly segments of Mandi district out of the 10.

As per BJP workers, it was the Seraj Assembly segment in Mandi where no Modi effect was observed although the segment was represented by senior BJP leader Jai Ram who remained the president of the state BJP unit.

Nurpur, May 17
The Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (HPPWD) has imposed a fine on two government contractors for delaying and stalling the construction of a road and a bridge in the area.

As per information, the HPPWD’s Fatehpur division had imposed a fine of Rs 16 lakh on a contractor who had been awarded the Riyali-Paral link road work under the NABARD funding scheme.

Anil Puri, Executive Engineer, Fatehpur division, said the defaulter contractor had been awarded the construction of this road in 2011 and it was scheduled to complete in 2013. But the contractor failed to complete the work and the department served notices on him. Despite these, he did not complete the work.

In another case, the National Highway (NH) authorities have imposed a fine of Rs 56 lakh on a construction company, which had left the work of constructing the Dehar Khud bridge at Kotla near here midway.

As per information, the NH had awarded the work of building the bridge to the company about five years ago.

Kangra, May 17
To apprise healthcare professionals of the importance of haemovigilance, a Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme was organised at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC), Tanda, for blood bank and pharmacovigilance personnel from the state. It was meant to address the need of reporting of adverse events due to blood transfusion.

Dr Dinesh Kansal, Head, Department of Pharmacology, DRPGMC, Tanda, today said the Tanda college and Pharmacovigilance Centre and Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, jointly organised the CME on haemovigilance which concluded last night at the Sobha Singh auditorium here.

Dr Surinder Singh, Director, National Institute of Biologicals, and former Drug Controller General of India, in his introductory speech, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, recently started the Haemovigilance Programme of India which was launched on December 10, 2012, by the National Institute of Biologicals across the country under the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) to monitor adverse events following blood transfusion.

Dr HK Dhawan, Assistant Professor at Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, highlighted the importance of this newly introduced concept of haemovigilance and how it could be implemented in the hospital set-up.

Dr Bal Chander, Assistant Professor at Department of Pathology, DRPGMC, talked about the terminology being used in reporting and gave an informative talk on investigation of transfusion-related adverse events. This was followed by a talk by Akanksha Bisht, member secretary, Haemovigilance Programme of India, on reporting of serious transfusion-related adverse reactions. Basics of haemovigilance, along with the software used for reporting of severe adverse events, were demonstrated.

The CME concluded with a panel discussion of pharmacovigilance groups on the action plan for reporting blood transfusion reactions. The panel comprised Dr Dinesh Sood, Dr Sanjeev Chaudhary, Dr Vikram Mahajan, Dr Rajeev Tuli, Dr SS Dogra, Dr Dinesh Kansal, Dr Vikrant Kanwar, all from the DRPGMC, Tanda, and Dr ML Kaushal, Head of Transfusion Medicine, IGMC, Shimla, who suggested ways to harmonise the working of pharmacovigilance and haemovigilance hand in hand.

Kansal said the CME programme was attended by around 330 participants from the state.