Shimla | TNR
Bharatiya Janata Party’s mantra for winning the three bypolls in Himachal, one Lok Sabha seat and two assembly seats, is to invoke the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and highlight the work done by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur’s government.
BJP cadres making rounds with mantra
BJP cadres are already active in Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly seats and Mandi Lok Sabha seat voicing this mantra out aloud to woo voters.
There is nothing new in the mantra as such because in 2019 the BJP had won the four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal by invoking and chanting the name of Modi. The four LS seats were won with a record margin with Kishan Kapoor of BJP winning the Kangra LS seat with 4,77,623 votes and Mandi, where bypolls are slated, was won by Ramswaroop Sharma of BJP with a margin of 4.05,459 votes.
BJP had then registered record leads in all the 68 assembly seats that fall under the four LS seats.
Anti-incumbency may have set in
However, in 2019, the Jai Ram Thakur government had just about completed a year and a half in power. Now, with the government having completed three years and nine months there is a possibility of anti-incumbency playing a role in the results for the three bypolls. Congress did have an upper hand in the recently held four municipal corporation elections.
Jai Ram Thakur to spearhead assembly elections 2022
BJP high command has entrusted Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur with the task of spearheading the party fight in the battle of ballots for the 2022 assembly polls thereby scotching any rumours to the contrary. This trust reposed in him makes it essential for Thakur to ensure party victory in all the three bypolls. Mandi is the Chief Minister’s home town a victory in this LS seat bypoll is imperative for him.
