Himachal Pradesh has despatched a transparent message to the BJP, highlighting the necessity for introspection regardless of their victory in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP’s main focus was on securing parliamentary seats, whereas the state Congress focused on the meeting by-elections. This divergence in priorities led to new political dynamics in the state.
Diverging Priorities and Electoral Outcomes
While the BJP has gained 4 parliamentary seats in Himachal, the lowered vote margins point out underlying points. In Mandi, the place the BJP beforehand loved leads of as much as 4 lakh votes, actress Kangana Ranaut confronted stiff competitors from Vikramaditya Singh, with the margin shrinking to round 75,000 votes. This was regardless of former CM Jairam Thakur’s relentless campaigning, alongside efforts from Prime Minister Modi, Nitin Gadkari, and Yogi Adityanath.
Jairam Thakur’s give attention to securing Mandi for Kangana led to setbacks in the by-elections. The BJP’s equipment, together with its staff and MLAs, prioritized Kangana’s marketing campaign, which resulted in losses in Dharamshala, Lahaul-Spiti, Sujjanpur, Badsar, Gagret, and Kutlehar meeting seats. Congress gained 4 of those seats, whereas the BJP secured solely two.
Parliamentary Results and Comparisons
The BJP’s candidates—Kangana Ranaut in Mandi, Anurag Thakur in Hamirpur, Rajiv Bhardwaj in Kangra, and Suresh Kashyap in Shimla—gained their respective parliamentary seats. However, the margins had been considerably decrease in comparison with 2019. Kangana gained Mandi by 73,256 votes, Suresh Kashyap gained Shimla by 90,000 votes, Anurag Thakur gained Hamirpur by 168,784 votes, and Dr. Rajiv Bhardwaj gained Kangra by 244,728 votes. In distinction, the 2019 elections noticed BJP profitable Mandi by 405,459 votes, Kangra by 477,623 votes, Hamirpur by 399,572 votes, and Shimla by 327,514 votes.
Need for Introspection
Despite profitable, the BJP’s lowered margins and losses in meeting by-elections point out the necessity for self-assessment. The celebration should handle the potential hostile results of sidelining staff and senior leaders. Additionally, the extreme interference from Delhi has had noticeable impacts. Local points resembling jobs, pensions, and worker welfare dominated these elections and must be prioritized in future methods.
The Himachal Pradesh elections have underscored the complexity of the political panorama, suggesting that the BJP must recalibrate its method to keep up its stronghold in the area.
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