Apple lobby spoils BJP chances in Jubbal-Kotkhai
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service
Shimla November 2
The presence of a rebel and the anti-apple grower sentiment among the voters virtually wiped out the BJP in the apple heartland of Jubbal-Kotkhai with its candidate Neelam Saraik forfeiting her security as she polled a mere 2,644 votes in the bypoll.
The triangular contest with Chetan Bragta, son of former Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta as a BJP rebel, made the going tough for the BJP. The stance adopted by the BJP’s central leadership against dynastic politics, denying ticket to Chetan at the last minute left the party high and dry.
Congress candidate Rohit Thakur, a two-time legislator and grandson of former Chief Minister Ram Lal Thakur, won by 6,293 votes despite Chetan evoking major sympathy for having been denied the ticket within a fortnight of his father’s demise.
Even though it appeared imminent that the Congress would benefit from the presence of a BJP rebel the performance of the saffron party was even below expectations. With Chetan having made a major dent into the BJP vote bank, Saraik, a three-time Zila Parishad member on whom the choice fell once the BJP took a principled decision against “dynastic politics”, polled only 2,644 votes.
With the contest right from day one being between the Congress and the Independent, the Congress managed well to counter the twin sympathy factor for Chetan, who lost his father and was denied the ticket, by raking up the sentiment of BJP being anti-apple growers.
With several issues concerning apple growers remaining unresolved, the growers gave vent to their ire by supporting Rohit. Adverse remarks by Horticulture Minister Mahender Singh on apple marketing were also amplified by the Congress during its campaign.
Factors like poor governance and anti-incumbency with barely one year left for the 2022 polls too seemed to have swayed the votes in favour of Congress.
Rohit records impressive win
- Congress candidate Rohit Thakur, a two-time MLA and grandson of ex-CM Ram Lal Thakur, won by 6,293 votes
- Rohit, who had lost to Narinder Bragta in 2017 Assembly poll by over 1,000 votes, managed his campaign well and reached out to voters with humility
