Kangra holds the key to winning Himachal polls

DHARAMSHALA: Knowing well that the Kangra district alone can be key to the victory, political parties have been mainly focusing here. The reason is Kangra has maximum number of 16 constituencies. Lower Himachal districts, mainly Hamirpur, Kangra, Bilaspur, Una have always been a stronghold of the BJP.

A look at the past Assembly election results is enough to tell that margins were never big between the two main rivals, Congress and BJP. In 1998-99 Assembly elections, neither the BJP nor the Congress was able to prove majority. It was with the support of Himachal Vikas Congress, led by former telecom minister Pandit Sukhram than, that the Congress was able to form the government. Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, on being asked about his satisfaction with the campaign, says: “what do you feel? Things are pretty evident and anyone can sense the change.”

BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Prem kumar Dhumal, who comes from Hamirpur district, has won for the third time as the member of Parliament from Hamirpur seat. He surprised everyone by defeating his rival candidate, Ram Lal Thakur of the Congress, by a huge margin of 80,059 votes.

“BJP will win with a huge margin this time,” adds Dhumal. Unlike last Assembly elections, both Shanta Kumar and P K Dhumal have come together this time. Shanta Kumar’s camp though deserted with the hopes of their leader becoming the chief minister if BJP wins, stood by the Dhumal camp. As a whole the party unlike Congress stood united this time.

Whereas the dissidence in the Congress an prove to be fatal for the party in the elections, Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who was the first to start the winter session of Himachal Assembly in Dharamsala. A move ostensibly aimed at bridging the gap between lower and upper Himachal. To some extent he succeeded also but failed in appeasing the dissidents like Vijay Singh Mankotia (who joined BSP).

Throughout his tenure he has been dogged by controversies, the most recent being the one former tourism minister G S Bali, who was asked to resign after a sting operation showed him celebrating his birthday party in the company of nautch girls at Dharamsala. all this has dented the image of the Congress. In spite of all odds, Virbhadra Singh is ready to take on the BJP.