SHIMLA: BJP-Congress slugfest is at its peak. The leaders are making "claims and counter-claims" to woo the 'silent voters'. It is heading for a crescendo in the apple belt and ‘Bushahr state’, an erstwhile bastion of six-time Chief Minister, late Virbhadra Singh in Shimla district.
BJP is facing the apple farmers, who had staged a series of protest in Rohru, Theog, Narkanda, Guma and Shimla, demanding the implementation of 20-point charter of demands submitted to the Jai Ram Thakur government.
Congress is facing rebels in Chopal and Theog that has made the contest keen and unpredictable for the pollsters.
Congress faces Subhash Manglet in Chopal and Vijaypal Khachi, son of Congress fire-brand leader. late J B L Khachi, and Indu Verma, wife of BJP MLA late Rakesh Verma, who had joined Congress before elections, in Theog.
They are creating headache for Congress candidate Rajneesh Kimta(Chopal) and Kuldeep Singh Rathore (Theog).
CPIM candidate and its firebrand leader, Rakesh Singha, a sitting MLA, has intensified his campaign to retain the Theog seat that has turned the fight multi-cornered.
CPM national leaders, Brinda Karat and Subhashni Ali, had also campaigned in support of Singha, citing his achievements as an MLA. "Singha got record clearances for the roads and raised maximum questions on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha", they said, seeking positive votes for him.
Rathore, former Congress President, is also contesting for the first time. He has left no stone unturned to regain "Congress votebank from Singha", mainly the "Vidya Stokes and Virbhadra supporters".
Both Congress and BJP are portraying Rakesh Singha as 'AndolanJeevi'. Congressmen want a berth for Theog and Rathore being close to 'Gandhis', is fitting into their scheme of things.
To what extent Rathore will succeed in his attempt, will decide his fate. He is getting support of PCC chief Pratibha Singh and Atul Sharma, Deepak Rathore, both ticket-seekers and other leaders, who addressed rally in his support in Kumarsain in Theog yesterday.
So is the case with Indu Verma, 'bahu' of former DGP RR Verma. Veteran of Theog has cultivated his support base in Theog and Balson area for his son Rakesh Verma, when he was the DGP and chairperson, HP Public Service Commission.
Indu Verma is hitting at both BJP and Congress for denying the party ticket to her just because she happens to be a woman.
In the past elections, RR Verma's son Late Rakesh Verma had trounced Vidya Stokes, bahu of the Stokes family. Satyanand Stokes, an American missionary from the USA, came to Kotgarh, embraced Hinduism and pioneered apple cultivation in Kotgarh in the early 20th century that today has ushered in apple revolution in hills of Himachal Pradesh.
Rathore has also turned emotional in rallies while remembering Vidya Stokes, 91, who is unwell pleading the party needs to honour her for her contribution to development of Theog.
Ex-DGP and his Bahu are trying to keep the support base of Rakesh Verma intact. Due to 'Putr Moh', veteran Cop RR Verma wants to see his young 'Pota', Eklavya Verma as a Neta, while Indu also has the same dream for her Putr.
BJP has fielded Ajay Shyam, a first timer, who has been performing 'natis' to make inroads in Theog.But BJP's base remains weak in this constituency so far.
All in all, BJP and Congress leaders have shuffled in support of their candidates, who are “a younger lot”, whose abilities to influence the silent voters are under test.
BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today fanned out Modi’s double engine mantra in Rohru, Rampur, Jubbal-Kotkhai and Chopal.
On the other hand, Congress national campaigner, Deputy CM of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot pressed voters for a change of the BJP government. "BJP performed badly in five years, which is now clear on the ground”, Pilot claimed.
Nadda tried to make a “political cut” in his bid to make some inroads into the old “Congress bastion of Rohru-Rampur, which was dominated by Congress stalwart, Virbhadra Singh, a six-time Chief Minister ever since Himachal came into existence.
Nadda tactfully made no mention of Virbhadra Singh in the rally. He told voters that they had seen Congress MLAs from Rohru for long, they should now give chance to BJP to find a difference.
BJP's Khushi Ram Balnatah had won once from Rohru after Virbhdra Singh's supporters were irked as Congress had given ticket to a candidate who did not have Virbhadra Singh's support. That was the 'chrishma' of Raja as he would turn tables as he wanted as he enjoyed mass base that no other leader in the history of Himachal Pradesh could even dream wildly of it.
Nadda addressed a series of election meetings in Rampur, Rohru and Jubbal-Kotkhai in support of BJP candidate Kaul Negi, Shashi Bala and Chetan Bragta, son of late Narendra Bragta, who was horticulture minister in the Dhumal government and Jan Manch chief in the Jai Ram Thakur government respectively.
Nadda cited some achievements of the double engine government of Narendra Modi and Jai Ram Thakur that made Himachal as the first cent percent vaccinated state in the country.
He said it delivered AIIMS, opened Atal Tunnel connecting the Lahaul- Spiti and Leh-Ladakh, set up IIIT and IIM and provided Ayushman Bharat and HimCare to provide free treatment cover worth Rs 5 lakh to people of Himachal for the first time.
Nadda said Sankalp Patr released by the BJP seeks to promote women empowerment by Stree Shakti.
Shashi Bala represents Stree shakti and if people vote her to the Vidhan Sabha, it is BJP to see she gets a place so that she nurses Rohru very well for five years as their MLA.
Shashi Bala is facing Mohan Brakta of the Congress, who has full support of the Congress including present scion of Virbhadra Singh that has made Bushahri hills still steeper for BJP in Rohru.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur addressed the public meeting in Nerwa in support BJP candidate Balbir Singh Verma, citing various works that the BJP has done in Chopal sub-division for the last 5 years.
Verma is a real estate baron is the richest among 412 candidates fighting elections in Himachal Pradesh.
He has a benefit that Congress rebel Manglet is cutting into the Congress vote of Kimta, though he has gained significantly on the anti-incumbency factor of Verma, a two times MLA and on the issue of old pension scheme.
Manglet is banking on "regional factor" broadcasting him as "a leader of Neol lower area . Manglet and his supporters are pleading among the voters that both Congress and BJP gave tickets to Bantu(Kimta) and Bittu(Verma) who come from the same upper area of Jhakholi and Balson.
But he lost two successive elections to Balbir Verma. Manglet had risen from nowhere on the strength of his father- a magician who had famed as a Koti wala Baba, who influenced simple village folks by his "so-called magic spells" and laid a public support base for his son in Neol area of Chopal.
But Manglet had his political innings at a young age as he remained Congress MLA for 10 years. People of Chopal had also rated him on his past performance and his pleadings hold little ground among silent voters.
As the 'Bittu-Bantu-Manglet' slugfest is heading for a peak, Bantu and Manglet supporters have made a video of Balbir Verma's speecch viral on social media in Chopal.
Verma is featured in a video advocating "Balson-vaad". "Balson people are now top businessmen including he himself, who now figure among top property-holders on The Mall and other places in Shimla", he had said in this video.
On the other hand, Bantu Kimta has also come under fire from common man. Bantu comes in his chopper and has not a connect with remote villagers of Chopal, they charge.
An independent Ashok Sharma has dared Verma and Kimta to enter in a debate with him. He says they have money, but no vision for development of Chopal.
Sharma is seeking votes of people, saying he has entered politics in a bid to reverse the trend of "money bags", which has taken the center-stage of politics in Himachal.
While allegations run high among local Netas, big time leaders are taking on their bigwigs of the opposite parties.
Taking on "Nadda-Jai Ram Duo", Sachin Pilot along with Uttarakhand Congress leader Pritam Singh also addressed election meeting in Jubbal-Kotkhai-Nawar at Jubbal in support of Rohit Thakur.
Sachin Pilot said BJP’s desperation is clear if one goes by the line of BJP leadership and resources being pumped into this tiny hill state.
Pilot said the Prime minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari, CM UP Yogi Adityanath and many others have been brought here for the rallies.
It is clear indication that BJP is in panic and losing in Himachal Pradesh, while Congress is forming the next government in the state, he claims.
Pilot claimed people’s josh here is an evidence of the fact that the double engine government did nothing for the last 5 years in Himachal.
Instead of showing its score card before the public, BJP leaders are trying to justify its failure before the public, Pilot said.
Sachin pilot claimed that massive response that the people of Jubbal and Kotkhai and Shimla district as a whole, have given to Congress is an indication of change of the government in Himachal.
In Jubbal- Kotkhai Rohit Thakur, a siting MLA is riding high on legacy of his grandfather Thakur Ram Lal, former Chief Minister. He is facing Chetan for the second time.
In Last by-election Rohit had defeated Chetan, who had contested as a BJP rebel and Neelam Saraik of BJP. Interestingly Chetan enjoys full support of BJP, but Vishal Shankta, a CPM candidate, who also comes from Kotkhai may dent some votes.
Rohit Thakur has an advantage in Nawar valley, his 'Sasural', where he got a larger vote share as compared with BJP's in last election.
Pilot also addressed rallies in Doon, Baddi in support of Ram Kumar and in Nurpur in Kangra in support of Ajay Mahajan mainly to woo the OBC and young voters of the state.
Earlier Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh had addressed the public meeting in Tharoach in support of its candidate Rajneesh Kimta. She cited works done by the Virbhadra Singh government in the area.
Congress Shimla (rural) MLA and campaigner Vikramaditya Singh also addressed public meeting in Kupvi in support of Kimta earlier.
Congress has expelled Manglet from the primary membership the party for 6 years for his anti-party activities.
Another dimension of the elections is even more interesting as it is taking place behind the scene.
These leaders and their supporters in poll arena are also out in the field to settle their "individual scores" as well. They are forming new combinations and permutations, cutting across party-lines.
Much remains to be seen: how the younger leaders, mainly from BJP perform and convince the belligerent apple farmers and Sarkari babus, who want old pension. Whether they will be able to fill up fuel in the double engine or the voters will keep it dry?