The slogan of ‘Modi again’’ worked wonders for ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Himachal Lok Sabha elections, as the party registered historic victory on Thursday, winning all the four seats in the state second time in row, with highest ever margins.
The election results were one-sided in the hill state, with all BJP candidates winning by a margin of over 3 lakh. In Kangra LS seat, Kishan Kapoor defeated his Congress rival by over 4.5 lakh votes. Three-times MP Anurag Thakur won by over 3.87 lakh votes in Hamirpur. It is his fourth consecutive victory.
In Mandi, former Union minister Sukh Ram’s grandson Ashray Sharma lost to sitting BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma by around 4 lakh votes.
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The polling percentage was all time high in Himachal this time at 72.25 per cent, but it turned out to be pro-ruling, defying all past trends. The Congress faced worst ever debacle in Himachal, as BJP secured huge lead in all 68 assembly segments in the state, which has 21 Congress MLAs. BJP had won four Lok Sabha seats, while in opposition then, with a vote share of over 53 per cent in Himachal, while in 2019, the party’s vote share has increased to over 68 per cent.
The poll results come as a big boost for BJP Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who was elevated to the coveted post in a twist of fortune after 2017 Assembly polls, as former CM and BJP’s CM candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal lost his election.
Thakur, who was brought as new leadership of BJP in Himachal, had the double advantage of ‘ruling’ (which usually enjoys an edge in Himachal) and the dominant Modi factor in state-which Modi always refers to as his ‘second home’.