SHIMLA, July12: Now the six months long high voltage pollical drama is over in Himachal Pradesh. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is not in a 'win-win' situation. He, in fact is in a 'non-win' but in a stable comfortable situation now.

But the recent assembly by-elections in Himachal Pradesh have sent a clear message to political players in the state.

The nine by-elections, including three recent ones in Dehra, Nalagarh, and Hamirpur, and six earlier in Dharamshala, Sujanpur, Badsar, Gagret, Kotlehar, and Lahaul-Spiti saw a high voltage drama.

But the results broadly have shown strong voter backlash against candidates who triggered these elections by defecting from their parties.

The BJP's Operation Lotus, aimed at undermining the ruling Congress by poaching its members, has faltered.

By and large, the voters rejected the BJP-backed defectors and reaffirmed their support for the Congress government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Both the ruling Congress and opposition BJP flagged  accusations of negligence and betrayal  among the voters to score pollical points.

But the people of Himachal Pradesh chose stability over political maneuvering.

In the six  by-elections held along with the Lok Sabha elections, Congress rebel-turned-BJP candidates Inderdutt Lakhanpal and Sudhir Sharma won in Badsar and Dharamshala.

However, the BJP suffered defeats in Sujanpur, Kotlehar, Gagret, and Lahaul-Spiti. All these seats were with the Congress. Congress got new leaders for these four seats.

 This comes as a broad-based repudiation. It reflects the electorate's disdain for political opportunism.

Independent candidates who joined the BJP- KL Thakur from Nalagarh, Ashish Sharma from Hamirpur, and Hoshiar Singh from Dehra, faced the voters' wrath.

Their resignations and subsequent alignments with the BJP were seen as opportunistic, resulting in losses.

While the  Singh and Thakur were shown the door, Ashish Sharma managed to  win by a narrow margin mainly because of the Dhumal family factor as Prof PK Dhumal’s  son and four time MP Anurag Singh Thakur hold the fort there, revealed insiders.  

Chief Minister Sukhu's focused campaign in Dehra, where his wife Kamlesh Thakur contested against BJP’s Hoshiar Singh, was notable and it paid dividends.

 Kamlesh Thakur pleaded she would be honoured to be an MLA of her ‘Mayakewale’, for Kamlesh hails from Dehra.

And  in response,  people of Dehra  came out in full support of their daughter and honoured their “jawayi, CM Sukhu in a hope he will do something for them.    

Despite losing two seats in his home district of Hamirpur -Hamirpur and Badsar-  Sukhu's leadership has emerged stronger, but he faces a “no-win situation”.

Congress now secures 40 out of 68 seats in the state assembly, ensuring a stable government. BJP increased its tally from 25 seats to 28 post- "Harsh Mahajan-Abhishek Manu Singhvi drama". 

The BJP's leadership, including opposition leader Jai Ram  Thakur, state president Dr. Rajeev Bindal, and Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur, face a subdued backlash.  

While Anurag Thakur managed  to win Hamirpur, but Jai Ram and Bindal failed to capitalize on the defections.

Accusations of the Sukhu government failing to address the needs of the defected MLAs' constituencies fell flat in Nalagarh and Dehra. Voters prioritized continuity and effective governance.

Pleas of KL Thakur and Hoshyar Singh were rejected by the voters.

The operation Lotus has failed.  The political developments  in Himachal Pradesh see the BJP momentarily subdued.

BJP also faces potential disqualification of 10 of its MLAs for unruly behavior in the Vidhan Sabha. The Congress, emboldened by its recent victories, is now poised to focus on accelerating development that was stalled during the prolonged political drama since March.

The next steps for the Sukhu government will be crucial. They need to deliver on their promises- Guarantees-  and mitigate the grievances of people weary from political instability.

All things considered,  recent electoral outcomes have fortified the Congress's position. The stage is now set for a renewed focus on governance and development in Himachal Pradesh.

Sukhu has also to take his MLAs and  ministers  together as a team nursing their concerns and grievances so that the BJP does not get a chance to launch operation Lotus 2 in the rest of remaining  over three years of the term. 

BJP needs to engage in positive and constructive dialogue both inside Vidhan sabha and outside among people  for the rest of the tenure of the Sukhu government.