Shimla: Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur is headed for a record 6th win in a row from his stronghold Seraj as voting began in the hill state at 8 am today for the 68 assembly seats.
Thakur is placed comfortably at Seraj against Congress’s Chet Ram, a loyalist of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Siingh. Chet Ram admits that the constituency has seen a change due to the development initiatives of the Chief Minister but claims that the projects which he got started from Virbhadra Singh had remained shelved.
Thakur has no challenge to his election because of his status as Chief Minister. This is the first time when Mandi district saw its leader rising to the Chief minister’s post.
“In terms of development, especially the road infrastructure, irrigation schemes, health and veterinary intuitions, Seraj has been very lucky. The development that happened in five years could not have been there in the next 50 years” says Mitro Devi, a native of Seraj.
Earlier known as Chachiot – one of the state’s most backward constituencies, the constituency elected Thakur in 1998, a year when Prem Kumar Dhumal formed the government with support of Himachal Vikas Congress led by former telecom minister Sukh Ram.
This time AAP has also fielded its candidate at Seraj while an independent is also trying his luck.
Asked what has really changed in Seraj from the day he unsuccessfully contested for the first time in 1993.
Thakur said, “I have lived in poverty. My father was a mason and brought us up, four brothers and two sisters. There were no roads. Even to reach my school, I had to travel nine kilometres one way and the same to return—18 kms journey on foot every day. But, after I became Chief Minister, I focused on road construction.”
But roads are not the only thing, Thakur got massive investments done in making Seraj a tourist destination under Asian Development Bank funding.
New rest houses, opening of PWD and water supply offices, health centres, school upgrades, link roads and development of religious places has helped him to earn a lot of goodwill.
“ The development journey of Seraj has just begun, I have more plans in my mind for the constituency” he says.
In his home district, Mandi, where the BJP had won nine out of 10 seats in 2017 it’s a big challenge for the Chief Minister to sustain the mandate. One independent, who was elected at Jogindernagar, has already joined the BJP.
The poll surveys indicate the Congress is likely to win three seats in Mandi this time.
Some of the key constituencies like Mandi, Seraj, Jogindernagar, Dharampur, Nachhan and Sundernagar, Karsog have strong positions for the BJP.
“ I have told my candidate to seek votes in the name of Jai Ram Thakur because it is the first we have a Chief Minister from Mandi. If we don’t give him support ,there will be no second chance” a retired government servant from Mandi told India Narrative.
Thakur did not find much time to campaign in Seraj but his voters say they can understand his responsibility for the state.
“ We want to see him becoming Chief Minister for the second time Thus we have asked the government employees from Mandi not to make OPS a big issue or play in the hands of the Congress. Once the government is formed, it will be resolved” Bhage Ram Thakur, a Dalit voter says.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s theme slogan – Riwaaz Badal Raha Hai has already caught the imagination of voters in Himachal Pradesh.
As the polling for 68 assembly constituencies , the party is asking the people to change the custom of replacing the governments after every five years—a trend started in 1985.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also appealed to the people of Himachal Pradesh to change the custom and vote for the incumbent BJP government for faster development of the state.
In other key contests in the state, Congress legislature party leader Mukesh Agnihotri is fighting his fifth election from the Haroli assembly segment in the Una district. BJP has pitted state spokesperson Ram Kumar against him.
Former Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, seen as a chief ministerial aspirant, is contesting from Nadaun. The BJP has fielded Vijay Agnihotri.
Former Himachal Minister and Congress leader Asha Kumari is contesting from Dalhousie. She is pitted against BJP’s DS Thakur and AAP’s Manish Sareen.
Senior Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur is again fighting from his traditional seat of Darang against BJP’s Puran Chand Thakur and AAP candidate Sunita Thakur.
Vikramaditya Singh, son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is recontesting from Shimla rural. BJP has fielded Ravi Mehta from the seat.
In Shimla Urban, Congress’ Harish Janartha is taking on BJP’s ‘chaiwala’ candidate Sanjay Sood. AAP’s Chaman Rakesh Ajta and CPI-M’s Tikender Singh Pawar are also in the fray.
