Stakes are high for Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur in Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency where revolt in the Congress and four simultaneous assembly byelections have made the parliamentary contest exciting.
Thakur won the 2019 elections by 3,99,572 votes, 2014 polls by 98,403 votes, 2009 by 72,732 and 2008 byelection by 1,74,666 votes.
Union Home minister Amit Shah’s remarks that Hamirpur has got a ready-made minister and will not get an MP like him even if the people search with a lamp have given a boost to Thakur’s campaign. It is also likely to benefit the BJP in the assembly byelections.
Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri are intensively campaigning in the constituency and accusing Thakur of making tall promises and claiming that the Congress will wrest the seat this time.
The Hamirpur parliamentary constituency is considered a bastion of the BJP. Out of the 17 elections including two byelections held since 1952, the BJP has won 10 times, the Congress five and the Janta Party and an Independent once each. The BJP has lost only once in 1996 on this seat after 1984.
Anurag Thakur, who was elected for the first time in 2008 bypoll following his father Prem Kumar Dhumal’s resignation after taking over as chief minister of the state, won three more elections in a row in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
He is seeking the consecutive fifth term facing former MLA from Una, Satpal Singh Raizada, of the Congress.
It is for the first time that the Lok Sabha polls are being held in Hamirpur constituency with Congress chief minister Sukhu, hailing from Hamirpur district in the saddle, and the assembly segments of the chief minister, deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri and cabinet minister Rajesh Dharmani falling under this constituency.
The Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency comprises 17 assembly segments — five constituencies each in Hamirpur and Una districts, four in Bilaspur district, Dehra and Jaswan-Pragpur in Kangra district and Dharampur in Mandi district.