The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has regained its strong position in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, but the ruling Congress Party remains stronger.
The Congress led by chief minister Virbhadra Singh appears all set to return to power in the hill state, which goes to the polls for the 68 assembly seats and three Lok Sabha seats on Saturday. (As per the decision of the Election Commission, the polling for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat will be held later).
Discredited and disgraced former Union communications minister Sukh Ram, who has been representing the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, his home district, during the last two terms, has once again entered the fray as a candidate of the Himachal Vikas Congress, the new regional party he floated in 1997.
During his long, non-stop campaign, Ram describes himself as a runk- a pauper. People do listen to him but not many believe him.
Ram has been mainly attacking Virbhadra Singh for his misfortunes in politics, but it is widely believed that his Himachal Vikas Congress will be routed in both the Lok Sabha as well as the assembly elections. Nonetheless, Ram has fielded candidates in a majority of seats though he knows he stands little chances of bouncing back in politics.
Explains a professor of political science in Shimla University: Himachal Pradesh is different from other northern Indian states. Honesty and integrity are the basic virtues which the hill people still value the most. Corrupt politicians stand very little chance of winning elections here. People may go and attend Sukh Rams election rallies but they will not vote for his party.
It is an acknowledged fact that Virbhadra Singh is the main strength of the Congress in the state. He may have been a spendthrift and flamboyant in his lifestyle, preferring to fly in a helicopter to cover different parts of the state, but his integrity and credibility as a politician has never been questioned even by political rivals like the BJPs former chief minister Shanta Kumar. Singhs supporters say he has been sincerely working for the socio-economic growth of the poor hill state.
Says Vijendra Singh, Congress candidate for the Nalagarh assembly seat: Raja Virbhadra Singh has a vision. During his innings as chief minister, he has been concentrating in strengthening the social infrastructure in the state. Particularly during the past four years, he has focussed on strengthening education and health besides tourism in the state.
The Congress is seeking votes mainly on the basis of his governments performance during the last four years. During his hectic election campaign, he is the partys star campaigner-though he is not known for oratorial skills-has been harping on the achievements of his government. He also attacks the BJP, his principal rival, as well as Pandit Sukh Ram.
In 1996, the BJP faced a complete rout, losing all the four seats. In the 1993 assembly polls in the state, the BJP faced a near rout, managing to win only 9 seats in the 68-member house. This time, political pundits predict that the BJP could win about 20 assembly seats and one seat for the Lok Sabha. Shanta Kumar, the firebrand RSS preacher-turned-BJP leader is reported to have an edge at Kangra.
