Elections in Himachal Pradesh

The election to the 68-member legislative assembly of Himachal Pradesh is scheduled on 12 November. Interestingly, the opposition Congress party is facing more challenges than the ruling BJP party in this election. The elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will be the first challenge for Congress after its presidential election.

As the BJP is in power at the center they are much ahead in the campaign in terms of both election workers and money. At the same time, anti-incumbency is very strong in the state. Congress can gain power only if this is utilized to the maximum and give new hope to the people. Though several private agencies have predicted that BJP will retain power in the state, Congress is saying that all that is just sponsored predictions. Till now the politics in Himachal Pradesh went in cycles with BJP coming to power after Congress rule and Congress returning to power after BJP’s tenure.

The BJP’s election campaign began with Narendra Modi’s huge public function. The BJP workers are in full swing to make their dream of ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’ come true.

On the other side, the Congress party workers are led by Priyanka Gandhi.

This time, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) is also in the fray along with BJP and Congress. However, the AAP does not have enough clout in the state. The number of votes that this party gets might determine who wins and who loses. The party also suffers from a lack of a leading figure.

Congress is also reeling without an appropriate leader. The death of Congress leader, Virbhadra Singh, who led the party for six decades, is a big blow to the Congress. The reality is that Congress does not have a leader who has the same stature as that of Virbhadra Singh. His wife and PCC President, Prathiba Singh, is leading the election campaign for the party.

The BJP is leading the campaign with its incumbent Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur. Before the election, the central government had announced big projects for the state. The BJP is asking the people to vote for them to complete these development projects.

Independent analysts are saying that if the Congress party can stop the infighting, then they have a higher chance to win the state. Therefore, Congress must show discipline and formulate strategies to grab power at all costs. The Himachal Pradesh election is a golden opportunity for the grand old party to prove that ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’ won’t happen.