The Hindu : Front Page : Direct fight in the hill State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 08, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Direct fight in the hill State

Kanwar Yogendra
Shimla

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party are locked in a direct contest for the four Lok Sabha seats in this hill State. At stake is the pride of Congress stalwart and former Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, who has entered the fray from the prestigious Mandi constituency. Also on test is the popularity of the Chief Minister, the BJP’s Prem Kumar Dhumal; the election result will be perceived as a reflection on the State government. His son, Anurag Thakur, a sittin g MP, is pitted against his one-time party colleague Narinder Thakur, in the prestigious Hamirpur constituency. Mr. Narinder Thakur, who shifted allegiance from the BJP to the Congress only a few months ago, faces a tough battle against Mr. Anurag Thakur, who is not only popular among partymen for his work but also for his achievements in the Himachal Pradesh cricket board.

Mr. Dhumal is confident that his party will win all four seats and contribute to the formation of a NDA government at the Centre. His main plank is development reflected in his slogan Sadak, Shiksha, Swasthya, Swarozgar, Sampanta, Swablamban (roads, education, health, self-employment, well-being, self-dependence). Issues like price rise, unemployment, corruption, and reduction of the State’s quota in the armed forces dominate electioneering. Terror and illegal money in Swiss bank accounts also figure in speeches now and then. The Congress highlights the failures of the Dhumal government and contrasts this with the UPA government’s successes such as the farm loan waiver and the NREGA.

During the 2004 Lok Sabha election, the Congress was in the power in the State and had managed to win three of the four seats. In 1999, the BJP had swept all four seats in alliance with Sukh Ram’s party, the Himachal Vikas Congress.

The high-profile contest in Mandi — where Mr. Virbhadra Singh is pitted against the BJP’s Maheshwar Singh — has attracted attention. The former was made a candidate only after his wife and sitting MP, Pratibha Singh, declined to contest. He has been campaigning relentlessly in the rural and urban belts of this far-flung constituency, under which the snow bound areas of Lahaul-Spiti fall. The fate of this contest is likely to have a major impact on Mr. Virbhadra’s Singh’s political future and standing within the State Congress party. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has fielded Onkar Shad as its candidate from this seat.

In Kangra, considered a BJP bastion, the Congress has fielded sitting MP, Chander Kumar, against new entrant and sitting MLA, Rajan Sushant, who enjoys the support of former Chief Minister, Shanta Kumar. The caste equations in this seat favour the Congress candidate, but a question mark has arisen over his conduct over the last five years; this could be a major obstacle for him to retain the seat. In adjoining Hamirpur, it remains to be seen who will prevail; Madan Lal, the former cricketer, was originally chosen by the Congress to contest this seat, but he had to back out following local opposition to his candidature.

The BJP is seeking to score an upset in the Shimla (SC) seat this time round and is working overtime to ensure the victory of its candidate, Virender Kashyap who holds the dubious distinction of not having won any of the eight Lok Sabha polls he has contested.

He is pitted against two-time MP, Dhani Ram Shandil of the Congress, who was elected for the first time to the Lok Sabha in 1999 on the BJP-HVC banner. He defected to the Congress in 2004 to win the second time. Although the Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded candidates for all four seats, it has been marginalised in the State with its lone sitting MLA, Sanjay Sharma, joining the BJP. A total of 31 candidates are in the fray for the four Lok Sabha seats.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page