Father vs son-in-law, royal vs ‘outsider’: The electoral battles to watch out for in Himachal Pradesh
Father vs son-in-law, royal vs ‘outsider’: The electoral battles to watch out for in Himachal Pradesh
After intense political campaigning, the people of Himachal Pradesh will vote today in the 69-member Assembly elections. The election in the hills has garnered much attention as it is a swing state — the party in power changes every elections (between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress) for the last three decades.
This time around, the elections in Himachal have become even more unpredictable with several Congress leaders joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur just three days before polling.
As the state goes to polls, here are some crucial and interesting electoral battles to keep an eye out for.
Seraj: Jai Ram Thakur vs Chet Ram Thakur
The Seraj Vidhan Sabha seat in Himachal has been a BJP stronghold and is said to the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur’s turf since 1998. This year’s battle for Seraj will see the chief minister going up against Congress’ Chet Ram Thakur — in 2017, Chet Ram lost to Jai Ram by 11,254 votes.
However, in this year’s elections, Chet Ram is looking to highlight the lack of road connectivity, a major contention among voters, to win the seat.
Solan: Dhani Ram Shandil vs Rajesh Kashyap
The election in Solan will be watched not just because of the direct battle between the Congress and the BJP, but also because it will be a family affair.
Sitting Congress legislator Dhani Ram Shandil is pitted against the BJP’s Rajesh Kashyap, who is his son-in-law.
In the 2017 election, Shandil had held on to his seat by a narrow margin of 671 votes.
Kasauli (SC): Rajiv Saizal vs Vinod Sultanpuri
BJP’s Rajiv Saizal, minister for family welfare, health and Ayurveda, is seeking re-election from the Kasauli (SC) constituency, a seat he has won consecutively — both in 2017 and 2012 by defeating Congress’ Vinod Sultanpuri. This time around too, the BJP minister is facing off against Sultanpuri.
आज मेरी विधानसभा क्षेत्र कसौली में डोर टू डोर जनसंपर्क एवं कुमारहट्टी में रोड शो कर जनता से आशीर्वाद प्राप्त किया।@BJP4Himachal @bjp4kasauli pic.twitter.com/3GcPZlzJSa
— Rajiv Saizal (@Dr_rajivsaizal) November 10, 2022
Prior to Saizal’s win in Kasauli (SC), the seat had been a Congress bastion, with Raghu Raj winning five times till 2003.
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Haroli: Mukesh Agnihotri vs Ram Kumar
Congress’ Mukesh Agnihotri, the sitting MLA from the seat and the state’s Opposition leader, will be going up against BJP’s Ram Kumar, despite the latter having lost previous elections.
Agnihotri, a former journalist, has been mentored by Congress strongman and former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
कांग्रेस आ रही है,
बहुमत से आ रही है,
आप सभी के सहयोग से आ रही है।#congress2022 #congress4himachal pic.twitter.com/UDQhOC8Hm4— Mukesh Agnihotri (@AgnihotriLOPHP) November 9, 2022
Agnihotri contested his first election in 2003 from the Santokgarh Assembly seat in Una district. He was re-elected from the constituency in 2007. He went on to win from the Haroli constituency, which was known as Santokhgarh before delimitation, in the 2012 and 2017 Assembly polls.
Kasumpti: Anirudh Singh vs Suresh Bharadwaj
The Kasumpti constituency will be an interesting electoral fight to watch as the BJP has brought in Urban Development Minister Suresh Bharadwaj, a four-time winner from neighbouring Shimla Urban seat to go up against Koti scion and Congress Anirudh Singh.
Singh is looking for a hat-trick win; he triumphed in the previous two elections from Kasumpti with handsome margins.
On the last day of the election campaign, received blessings from the residents of Kufri, Koti, and Chamyana areas of the Kasumpti Constituency. #HimachalPradesh #Kasumpti #HimachalPradeshElections #Shimla pic.twitter.com/y6RiRf7qXk
— Anirudh Singh (@anirudhsinghMLA) November 10, 2022
Bharadwaj’s selection for the seat came as a surprise with the BJP saying the decision was taken by the high command following surveys and feedback.
Apart from being considered an outsider, Bharadwaj will also have to deal with the anger of apple farmers and horticulturists as well as government workers over the Old Pension Scheme.
Shahpur: Sarveen Chaudhary vs Kewal Singh Pathania
The Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Sarveen Chaudhary will face off against Congress’ Kewal Singh Pathania in Kangra’s Shahpur. Pathania had come third in 2017 from the same seat behind former Congress minister Major Vijai Singh Mankotia (retired).
Mankotia has joined the BJP this time around, which may benefit the Congrrss as locals are said to be angry about his decision.
Shimla Rural: Vikramaditya Singh vs Ravi Mehta
Vikramaditya Singh of the Congress hopes that the polling gods smile on him again this election after winning the Shimla Rural seat last time too.
The son of late six-time Congress CM Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya will square off against BJP’s Ravi Mehta. Given Virbhadra’s legacy, Vikramaditya has a strong Congress support base in the region and is being projected as a key youth leader.
With inputs from agencies
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