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New generation leaders call the shots

In a shift of decades-old psychology and overdependence on old political giants for poll management and campaigning, Himachal is witnessing the emergence of a younger generation leadership in the BJP and the Congress during the present by-elections.

New generation leaders call the shots

BJP candidate Vishal Nehria campaigns at Dharamsala. Photo: Kamaljeet



KS Tomar

In a shift of decades-old psychology and overdependence on old political giants for poll management and campaigning, Himachal is witnessing the emergence of a younger generation leadership in the BJP and the Congress during the present by-elections. The development can be described as the harbinger of a new era in the state politics.

In the BJP, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, state president Satpal Sati and some Cabinet ministers are handling the entire show, thereby replacing former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal. 

In the Congress, state president Kuldeep Rathore, Congress Legislature Party leader Mukesh Agnihotri and MLAs are handling the by-elections whereas top leaders such as former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, former Assembly Speaker Vidya Stokes may not have much role.

As an indication, on the insistence of the candidates, the top leaders of the BJP and the Congress may mark their symbolic presence in rallies but the present generation leaders have accomplished the predominant task of ticket allotment and devising campaign strategies, marking a complete deviation from the old stereotype practice.  

Like the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Haryana, the Himachal Chief Minister is also banking on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win the two by-elections on October 21.

The prestige of Jai Ram Thakur and Satpal Sati is at stake in the by-elections and loss of even one seat may have consequences for the government.

The by-elections will also be a litmus test of the abilities of Rathore and Agnihotri, who are facing a complex situation due a weak organisational set up inherited from their predecessor and demoralised cadres due to the defeat of the party in the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Congress workers and leaders are yet to recover from the shock though Rathore has tried to smoothen the working of the party organisation.

The BJP is facing a rebel problem as ticket aspirants were in plenty. Dayal Payari, a former Zila Parishad chairperson, is fighting the by-election from Pachhad in Sirmaur district as an Independent candidate after the BJP denied her the ticket. Rakesh Chaudhry in Dharamsala, another Independent candidate who belongs to the OBC community, may create problems for the official candidates of the BJP and the Congress. Ashish Sikta had withdrawn from the contest in Pachhad following personal intervention by the Chief Minister but earned the wrath of his own supporters. Dayal Payari, under pressure of her supporters, stood firm on her decision to fight the by-election. She enjoys considerable goodwill among people and influence in a particular area of the Pachhad constituency, which is a loss for the BJP.

The Congress faced a piquant situation when former minister and AICC secretary Sudhir Sharma refused to contest the Dharamsala by-election on the health ground. He had nursed the constituency and fought the Assembly election from the seat but lost by 2,997 votes. Unsavory scenes of accusations and counter allegations have exposed intense infighting in the Congress in Kangra, forcing the party leadership to field a young ‘Gaddi’ leader, Vijay Inder Karan. Former Congress MLA Mulakh Raj Padha’s son Punish Padha has not succumbed to the pressure of Congress leaders and is fighting the Dharamsala by-election as an Independent candidate. However, the Congress in Pachhad picked former Assembly Speaker Gangu Ram Musafir to try his luck again though he had lost the seat by 6,527 votes in the 2017 Assembly elections.

Caste factor

The caste factor will play an important role in both Assembly constituencies. The BJP has fielded Vishal Nehria, a candidate from the ‘Gaddi’ community, in Dharamsala while the Congress too has given ticket to Vijay Inder Karan, also a Gaddi candidate and close relative of former minister Thakur Singh Bharmari. Both will cut each other’s votes but Rakesh Chaudhry may damage the prospects of the BJP candidate more. 

Some disgruntled leaders of the BJP say that the wrong allotment of ticket may cost the party dear as Dayal Payari was a deserving candidate. They privately admit that the loss of even one seat may change political equations in the BJP.

Local issues are dominating the by-elections and the BJP is trying to convince voters in Pachhad and Dharamsala on the basis of development works done by the Jai Ram government. The Congress is harping on a lack of funds to develop Dharamsala as a Smart City because the Central government has released only Rs 35 crore against the proposed outlay of Rs 2,109 crore. The Congress is also exploiting the delay in the creation of two campuses of Central University in Kangra but the BJP holds the opposition party responsible for playing politics and vitiating the atmosphere.

The Hatti Samiti may put the BJP and the Congress in an embarrassing situation on the issue of the promised tribal area status to Giripar. Former Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had promised to accord the tribal status to the trans-Giri tract (Giripar) at a public rally at Nahan during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but nothing has been done in the last five years. Similarly, the previous Congress governments in the state had also done nothing in this regard though adjoining areas of Bhabar Jaunsar in Uttarakhand were accorded the tribal status in sixties.

Rebel trouble

Some disgruntled leaders of the BJP say that the wrong allotment of ticket may cost the party dear as Dayal Payari was a deserving candidate. They privately admit that the loss of even one seat may change political equations in the BJP. Dayal Payari stood firm on her decision to fight the by-election. She enjoys considerable goodwill among people and influence in an area of Pachhad, which is a loss for the BJP.

(The writer is a political analyst. Views are personal)

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