Close call on cards in Mandi & Shimla

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, May 31

Faced with the challenge of breaking the winning spree of the BJP which won all four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal in 2014 and 2019, the Congress has put up a spirited fight, hoping to wrest back at least two seats.

In a direct fight in a state having a bipolar polity, the Congress is hoping to win back its traditional bastion of Shimla and Mandi Lok Sabha seats, which are poised for a close finish. The Congress had won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in the 2021 bypoll when Pratibha Singh registered a victory with a slender margin of about 8,000 votes.

The outcome of the six Assembly byelections could prove to be a watershed in Himachal politics as this would decide the fate of the six former Congress rebel MLAs, now seeking re-election on the BJP ticket. The ruling Congress is trying to gain sympathy on the issue of the BJP enticing its MLAs to topple the government, besides claiming that the Centre did not provide financial assistance to cope with the monsoon disaster.

The BJP is pinning its hopes on Modi magic, Hindu sentiment on Ram Temple and the development works undertaken by the Centre. However, the Agnipath scheme could hit the party as defence recruitment remains the biggest attraction and employment avenue for youth from Himachal.

Riding high on honouring its commitment of restoring the old pension scheme, providing Rs 1,500 assistance to women and the launch of Rs 680 crore start-up scheme for creating employment avenues, the Congress is confident of winning a majority of the seats.