Huge setback to BJP's Mahender Thakur in Dharampur segment

Dipender Manta

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Mandi, December 9

After a gap of 32 years, voters have rejected the political legacy of Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur in the district by defeating his son, Rajat Thakur, in Dharampur. Rajat lost to Congress’ Chander Shekhar by a margin of 3,026 votes.

Senior BJP leader Mahender dominated the Dharampur seat from 1990 till 2022. He won seven time from this seat on different party ticket. This time, he decided to field his son in Dharampur on the BJP ticket to carry forward his political legacy. But, his decision proved wrong because he could not ensure his win.

However, for the Congress, it is a bounce back on the seat after a gap of 24 years. Mahender had won his first election as an Independent in 1990. He won second the time on the Congress ticket in 1993 and remained the MLA till 1998. In 1998, he again won on the Himachal Vikas Congress ticket. In 2003, he won on the Loktantrik Morcha ticket. On the BJP ticket, he won in 2007, 2012 and 2017.

To defeat the BJP candidate in Dharampur, the Congress and the CPIM joined hands this time, which proved beneficial for Congress’ Chander Shekhar.

CPIM leader Bhupender Singh decided to support the Congress and didn’t contest the election for the Dharampur seat this time.

The BJP has performed well in the Assembly elections in the district for the second time in a row. In the 2017 Assembly elections too, the party had won nine seats in the district, while one was clinched by an Independent candidate.

In the district, the Seraj, Sarkaghat and Nachan Assembly segments have emerged as a stronghold

of the BJP. The party has won six times in a row in Seraj, four times in Sarkaghat and three times in Nachan. While in Mandi Sadar, Balh, Karsog, Darang, Sundernagar, it has won for the second time in a row.