Anuradha Lahaul’s 1st tribal woman MLA

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, June 4

The Congress candidate, Anuradha Rana, won the Lahaul and Spiti Assembly byelection by a margin of 1,960 votes and secured 9,414 votes. BJP rebel Ram Lal Markanda, who contested as an Independent, secured 7,454 votes. Congress rebel and BJP’s nominee Ravi Thakur bagged 3,049 votes and his security deposit was forfeited.

The constituency had witnessed a turnout of 75.09 per cent on June 1. While 157 of the 1,173 postal ballots were rejected, 76 opted for NOTA.

At 25,273, the constituency has the lowest number of voters in the state. Anuradha, a 31-year-old greenhorn, from Rangcha village claims to be the first tribal woman MLA of Lahaul and the second woman representative from the district in the Assembly after 52 years. She has been Lahaul and Spiti Zila Parishad Chairperson for the past two-and-a-half years.

The Congress had chosen a woman candidate from among around 20 ticket aspirants, expecting the support of female voters, as the state government had launched the Rs 1,500 Mahila Samman Nidhi scheme from Spiti in May last year. Even former minister Ram Lal Markanda was eyeing Congress ticket after the BJP refused to field him. The BJP rather imposed faith in Congress rebel Ravi Thakur after he joined the party along with five other MLAs.

Ravi bagged 3,049 votes and came last among the three candidates. On May 20, Ravi was with the BJP candidate from Mandi constituency, Kangana Ranaut, when residents and Congress workers showed them black flags at a rally in Kaza.

In the keen contest with Markanda, Anuradha secured a lead in the last two of the 14 rounds of the counting. Thanking party leaders and workers, Anuradha said Lahaul-Spiti would be developed without discrimination by taking everyone along. She said priority would be given to good roads, improving water supply and infra, better health, promoting equitable sustainable tourism and improving education in the district.