Stakes are high for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and former Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur in the polls in Himachal Pradesh today.
While the Congress CM Sukhu faces a battle of prestige in six Assembly by-polls, which will have a bearing on the power game in the state and internal politics of Congress, the former BJP CM will have to prove his mettle in Mandi Parliamentary constituency, especially his stronghold Mandi district, in the Lok Sabha polls.
Polling is being held for four Lok Sabha seats and six Assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh today.
The BJP had won all four Lok Sabha seats in 2019. However, Mandi's seat was wrested by Congress in 2021 in a by-poll after the demise of BJP MP, Ram Swaroop Sharma.
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee Chief, Pratibha Singh is the sitting MP from Mandi, which has become a hot seat in Lok Sabha polls in the entire country this time with Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut contesting on BJP ticket.
She faces Pratibha Singh's son and Public Works Minister, Vikramaditya Singh.
Mandi Lok Sabha seat is the toughest constituency in Himachal Pradesh with the entire tribal area of Lahaul Spiti, Bharmour, and Kinnaur forming part of it.
Even as the campaign in Mandi was quite personalised with the actress playing on the front foot with her remarks against the Congress nominee and facing the same heat in return, her main support is Jai Ram Thakur on the ground, who visibly limited himself to the Mandi seat in these elections.
Mandi district houses 9 out of 17 Assembly seats in the Mandi Parliamentary constituency and Jai Ram is faced with the task of retaining hold with the lead on all these nine seats, won by BJP in 2022 to strengthen him as the first CM from Mandi. His home Assembly segment Seraj had given him a lead of over 37000 in 2022 polls.
BJP sources said Kangana Ranaut's victory or defeat will reflect on Jai Ram's popularity in his home district.
" We are hopeful of getting full support in Mandi," said former BJP CM, who roughed in on the ground so much to mobilize support for Kangana in his home district more than any other area. What worries BJP and Jai Ram in Mandi, however, is the amount of dent that Vikramaditya Singh may make into Mandi district, especially with his father former six times CM, Virbhadra Singh and mother Pratibha Singh having represented Mandi Lok Sabha seat in the past.
The results of six Assembly by-polls, on the other hand, hold the key to decide the power game in Himachal. Besides, it will establish Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's stature in the state and Congress party. Sukhu seemingly made the by-polls his priority by continuing scathing attacks on Congress rebels contesting on BJP ticket within just 15 months. In every poll rally, Sukhu loudly termed that it is a contest between ' Janbal and dhanbal' ( People's power and Money power) and that he is sure that people's power will defeat money power.
Congress CM's sole target has been the rebels, alleging that they played in the hands of the BJP for money.
" This election would decide the course of future politics in HP," he said, appealing to people to reject such dishonest politics, wherein the opposition party tried to defeat peoples' mandate with money within just 12 months of Congress rule.
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