In Lahaul and Spiti bypoll, it’s all about drinking water
Abhinav Vashisht
Kullu, May 27
The Lahaul and Spiti Assembly byelection is evenly poised with BJP rebel and former minister Ram Lal Markanda contesting as an Independent candidate. The consitutency has the lowest number of voters in the state and women voters outnumber men.
The Lahaul valley has more voters than the Spiti valley and all three candidates hail from there. The BJP has fielded Congress turncoat Ravi Thakur while the Congress has given ticket to Anuradha Rana (31), a resident of Rangcha village. The Congress hopes to garner the support of women as the Sukhu government had launched the Rs 1,500 per month Mahila Samman Nidhi scheme from the Spiti valley in May last year.
Ravi Thakur (62), a resident of Gemur village, had won the Assembly seat in the 2012 and 2022 elections and had also remained the executive chairman and vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. He belongs to the erstwhile royal family and his mother Lata Thakur had won the 1972 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket.
Markanda (58), who belongs to Udaipur village, had won the seat three times and had also remained a Cabinet minister. This time, the BJP denied him ticket to fight the byelection. Meanwhile, the voters are unwilling to speak their mind and are silent about their preferences. All candidates are campaigning hard to gain an edge over the others. The star campaigners from both the Congress and the BJP have also addressed various election rallies to woo voters.
Drinking and irrigation water facilities are a major concern for both Lahaul and Spiti valleys. The residents of Jahlma village have even threatened to boycott the byelection on the issue of the water problem. Inadequate health facilities are also a major problem, as the shortage of specialist doctors forces residents to travel to Kullu or Shimla for treatment.
Triangular contest
- Anuradha Rana (Cong), Ravi Thakur (BJP), RL Markanda (Ind) are main candidates
- All three candidates hail from the Lahaul valley & women voters outnumber men
- The Lahaul valley has more voters than the Spiti valley
Total voters: 25,273 (as on 14/05/2024)
Female: 12,668
Male:12,605
Last winner: Ravi Thakur (Cong)
Winning margin: 1,616 votes
The people of the district are largely dependent on horticulture and agriculture. Markanda claims he had provided power tillers to farmers and is now assuring them of higher subsidies on agricultural inputs. Ravi has also promised to provide support to farmers.
Tourism is also gaining momentum in the Lahaul valley, especially after the opening of the Atal Tunnel. Many homestays were approved in the Lahaul valley during Markanda’s tenure as the tribal development minister. Education facilities are also not up to the mark in the district and the youth generally move to other parts of the state for education.
