One week before Himachal polls, close fight expected between BJP, Congress

BJP has dropped 11 sitting MLAs from candidate list to fight anti-incumbency sentiments; Congress may be hit by factionalism and fragmented leadership in State unit

With the assembly election inching closer in Himachal Pradesh, a close fight between the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and its key challenger, the Congress is expected to be on the cards as a sense among people indicates a mixed set of feeling toward both parties, which have been alternatively forming governments in the State for over three decades.

While the anti-incumbency against the BJP can’t be ruled out, the Congress party, people feel, could be at the loss on account of factionalism and fragmented leadership within the party’s state unit. In the past three decades, Himachal has seen a bipolar electoral system with the Congress and the BJP alternately forming the governments and the upcoming electoral battle doesn’t seem any different. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is contesting  67 seats of all 68 assembly seats, after an emphatic win in neighbouring Punjab, hardly seems to have found a foot on the ground among voters.

The 24-year-old, Lucky, who runs a daily need shop at Panjpiri village (Swarghat) in Bilaspur district was confident of BJP’s return to power until when the candidates were announced. “Several schemes were started by the BJP, especially the one for free treatment, which is good. I feel they (BJP) did a fine job, but after they announced their candidates, dropping their sitting MLAs in a few constituencies, there’s a feeling that the party was not confident of its work,” he said.

In the ongoing polls, the BJP had denied candidature to its 11 MLAs including a Minister and shifted constituencies of two Ministers. A section of people feel that the selection of ‘new faces’ as the candidates is being seen as an attempt and strategy of the party to ‘offset’ the anti-incumbency factor.

“BJP gave tickets to new faces, and also changed seats of some others, this indicates that BJP is well aware of the fact that there’s anger against them. During the Covid-19 lockdown period, people like me struggled, but there was hardly any government help. There were announcements of certain waivers, but yet I didn’t get any rebate in the garbage bills, water and electricity bills,” said Dalip Gupta, who runs a tiny grocery store in Shimla, the State capital. “By and large no political party - be it the BJP or the Congress keep their election promises. The government has policies for its employees but for people like me, who run small private shops there’s hardly anything. Having said that one thing the BJP did good was the ‘health card’, in which a benefit upto Rs 5 lakh is given,” he said. He added, “The BJP has this time changed the candidate from Shimla seat, this is a clear indication that they are fearing a backlash, otherwise there was no reason of shifting the current MLA, who was a Minister as well.” Mr. Suresh Bhardwaj, the current MLA and cabinet Minister is contesting from Kasumpti instead of Shimla (Urban).

In Bilaspur town, Des Raj, who runs a chemist shop senses that the Congress party has a chance to wrest power in the upcoming election if they fight unitedly. “I feel Congress has a chance to win in the election, but several leaders have left the party recently due to factionalism, which could be detrimental to their electoral prospects. The demand for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme by government employees was not fulfilled, which could go against the BJP. My father got retired from the State Electricity Board recently and the OPS is a matter of big concern in my family,” he said.

Jeet Ram Sharma of Nayi Sarali village is content with the pace of development in the past five years of the BJP regime. “Foundation of works has been laid in the past five years and results would be seen in the future. Recently we got AIIMS, which is good… the pace of development – be it the construction of roads or implementation of schemes at the local level, it has been much faster under the BJP government than the previous government. The AAP is hardly in the electoral fight,” said Mr. Sharma, a retired sub-inspector from CRPF.