New Delhi ∙ What the BJP feared happened in Himachal Pradesh. The soil of the party’s national president has been abandoned. All efforts to retain Himachal failed. On the other hand, Himachal gave the Congress a relief victory at the national level. In a ground where the Congress has a general base, the victory was within reach as the leaders did their duty without creating confusion.
The road to success
Focusing the campaign on issues that directly affect the people like the promise to restore the old pension benefited the Congress. The Congress managed to keep around four and a half lakh government employees and pensioners and their families with them. This is how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to vote for him went unheeded. Local issues were taken seriously by voters. This is evidenced by the fact that the Congress has made gains in the sphere of influence of apple farmers. From the issue of support price of apples to the cost due to GST, the opposition of apple farmers was evident. Last year’s by-election victories also boosted the confidence of party elements.
Kangra is waiting for Congress
The belief that those who gain in the Kangra region of Himachal will rule the state has not gone wrong this time. Of the 15 seats here, the Congress won 10, while the BJP won 4 and a BJP rebel won one. In 2017, BJP had 11 seats in Kangra. Lower Himachal which includes Kangra, Hamirpur and Bilaspur is generally BJP’s area of influence. Apart from making extra gains here, the Congress did not fare badly in Upper Himachal (Kulu, Mandi, Shimla, etc.) where it traditionally supports. The strategy of highlighting influential leaders in their respective fields without presenting a person as the face of the party was also successful. Priyanka Gandhi and Sachin Pilot, who were in charge of coordination, were also concentrated in Kangra.
Nadda and Jairam are knocked out
Chief Minister Jairam Thakur won the Seraj constituency with a majority of 38,183 votes. However, the weight of defeat will not rest on Jairam Thakur. This is also a setback for National President JP Nadda who camped in his own state and controlled the campaign. The new axis formed in the state BJP under their leadership created rebels by accepting defectors with open arms and giving them seats. There were 21 dissidents from BJP alone.
English Summary: BJP defeat in Himachal Pradesh