Ahead of key bypolls in Himachal, prestige of Sukhvinder Sukhu, Anurag Thakur at stake

KS Tomar

Setting aside the Congress party’s victory in four byelections and the BJP’s clean sweep in four Lok Sabha seats, the prestige of Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and state party chief Pratibha Singh is at stake in three byelections which may have a direct bearing on the stability and longevity of the government, especially if the ruling party fails to emerge victorious.

Double responsibility

The CM has clarified that he did not seek a ticket for his wife Kamlesh Thakur, who was directed by the Congress high command to try her luck from the Dehra constituency. This decision has placed a double responsibility on Sukhu, as he cannot afford to lose this byelection.

The CM has clarified that he did not seek a ticket for his wife, Kamlesh Thakur, who was directed by the Congress high command to try her luck from the Dehra constituency. This decision has placed a double responsibility on Sukhu, as he cannot afford to lose this byelection.

In this context, a new challenge confronts former Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur also. The Hamirpur and Dehra Assembly seats form a part of his Lok Sabha constituency, where he secured 57.97 per cent and 58.97 per cent of the votes, respectively.

There was a big gap of 17.42 per cent in Hamirpur and 19.05 per cent in Dehra between the BJP and Congress. In the 2022 elections, as an Independent candidate, Ashish Sharma polled 39.91per cent votes, BJP’s Narinder Thakur 32.59 per cent, and Congress’s Pushpinder Verma 25.12 per cent votes.

Anurag Thakur improved the party’s performance in the 2024 polls by 25.38 per cent, compared to Ashish Sharma’s 18.06 per cent in 2022. As Ashish is now the BJP candidate, Anurag Thakur is working hard to ensure his victory, which should not be a significant challenge, given Sharma’s previous success in defeating both the BJP and Congress in the 2022 Assembly polls.

In Dehra, BJP nominee Hoshiyar Singh may face a stiff opposition from CM’s wife Kamlesh, who is likely to get support of women voters. In the 2022 Assembly election, BJP’s nominee Ramesh Chand polled 42.53 per cent votes, Congress’s Rajesh Sharma 45.26 per cent and victorious saffron party rebel Hoshyar Singh got 47.28 per cent votes.

Political observers point out a unique political equation in these three segments, marked by a stark difference, compared to six Congress rebels who had earlier joined the BJP. The three independents revolted against their parent party, the BJP, as they were denied tickets in the 2022 Assembly polls and won. In contrast, the six rebels were senior and established Congress leaders in their segments, hence they were hardly accepted by the saffron brigade after joining the BJP, leading to the defeat of four of them.

For the sake of calculations which cannot be a barometer of success or defeat, if we add up the BJP’s vote bank and the rebels’ personal hold in three segments, the percentage of votes

increases drastically.

Political analysts opine that it is a do-or-die situation for the BJP, hence it is desperate to ensure the victory of these three new entrants to recover from the shock of losing four out of the six byelections. The outcome holds significance for Sukhu as well, as victory will strengthen his government. However, all eyes are on his wife, whose success will elevate his image while failure may have serious repercussions.

— The writer is a senior journalist based in Shimla

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