With Himachal Pradesh going to the polls on November 12, the State’s high-pitched election campaign came to a halt on Thursday. Traveling around the State amid the political slug-fest gave a sense that there is a palpable narrative about bringing in a change, making it a close battle for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to retain its government.
Himachal Pradesh has been a bipolar electoral arena for the last three decades, with the Congress and the BJP alternately forming the governments, and the contest remains between these two traditional rivals this year as well. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), after an emphatic win in neighbouring Punjab, created an initial euphoria in the political landscape, but the frenzy soon fizzled out. It seems to be largely out of contest even though the party has fielded candidates in 67 seats of the 68 Assembly constituencies.
Many believe that the Congress has been facing a leadership vacuum since the demise of its veteran leader and six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. Although his widow Pratibha Singh was given the reins of the party, it has been difficult to replace the appeal and political acumen of the former Chief Minister. The Congress party’s chances of giving a fight to the incumbent BJP is largely seen against the backdrop of the people’s longing for an alternative politics, rather than the long haul done by the Congress on the ground.
The BJP, on the other hand, seems to be facing an anti-incumbency factor after five years in power. The party’s decision to deny electoral tickets to 11 of its sitting MLAs, including a Minister, and to shift the constituencies of two other Ministers, is being seen as an attempt to offset the anti-incumbency factor. Also, the raking up of issues such as the abrogation of Article 370, India’s cross-border air strike, and the promise of implementing the Uniform Civil Code in the BJP manifesto gives an impression that the party is trying to consolidate voters by evoking sentiments of nationalism against the backdrop of national security. The remainder of the construction of the Ram Temple during the public rallies was apparently another attempt at consolidating votes.
In the run-up to the election, the BJP was quick to start its campaigning as early as May, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a roadshow in the capital Shimla and addressing a rally to mark the eighth anniversary of his government at the Centre. The party’s campaign continued to gain momentum since then and revolved around the government’s development work in the past five years and the benefits of “double engine” governments (with the same party in power at the Centre and the State, apart from the nationalistic issues already mentioned.
The Congress, on the other hand, had a relatively sluggish start to its campaign as the party kept struggling with factionalism in the absence of strong leadership. Its campaign got a boost in October when Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed her first election rally in the State and followed up with a series of more rallies.
The Congress has been harping on the anti-incumbency factor but also cornered the BJP on local issues such as corruption, inflation, unemployment, demand for the restoration of the old pension scheme for government employees, and the problems of horticulturists and farmers.
