BJP sitting pretty, Cong hopes to make inroads

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 18

In BJP-ruled Himachal, this is the first election being fought under the leadership of CM Jai Ram Thakur. Hence, the poll outcome is bound to change the dynamics within the party, whichever way the results go.

The Congress, on the other hand, faces the arduous task of putting up an honourable fight in all four Lok Sabha seats that are held by the BJP.

Facing a resource crunch, the Congress put up a spirited fight. The BJP is confident of retaining all four seats but the Congress hopes to make a breakthrough in its traditional bastion of Shimla and in Kangra, now that the Shanta Kumar factor is absent there.

Though Sukh Ram’s grandson put up a feisty fight in Mandi in the CM’s home turf, a victory would be nothing short of a miracle. In Hamirpur, Anurag Thakur, who built up his campaign on the Modi mania, is hoping to register a fourth consecutive win. “Considering the unprecedented development under PM Modi, there is not an iota of doubt that we will make a clean sweep yet again,” the CM told The Tribune today. Exuding confidence, Congress chief Kuldeep Rathore claimed the results would be a “big surprise”. It was all about national security and PM Narendra Modi’s “able leadership”, with local issues taking a back seat even though the Congress tried to shift focus on demonetisation, GST and lack of jobs.