BJP Wants To Know Who Is To Blame For Bypoll Loss In Himachal Pradesh, Cadres Or Leaders

In the wake of its losses in the recent bypoll elections in Himachal Pradesh,  the BJP is looking for answers. And one of the top questions on the table at the state's BJP committee meeting, set to be held at Shimla in two days, is likely to be, who is to blame, party cadres or leaders?

Some ministers and MLAs, whose vote bank proportionally shifted to the Congress in Mandi Parliamentary constituency, home district Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, blame it on the “sympathy factor” for Pratibha Singh, the new MP and wife of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

While the BJP top leaders partially agree with the theory, many are not convinced this is the sole reason for the loss.

Former BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma, whose demise had led to the bypoll, had won the seat by the highest ever margin of four lakh –plus votes. A former BJP veteran admits that the BJP was slow to wake up to the signs of erosion, despite four years of ruling the state.

As per schedule, the state BJP core committee will begin its  two-day meeting on November 24 when party office-bearers and executive members will deliberate on what the defeat in the four bypolls really means for the party. Ahead of the assembly elections next year, the meeting will also see discussions on the way forward for 'Mission Repeat- 2022'.

CM Jai Ram Thakur, who was at Mandi a day before, said the election results should not be viewed as the final assessment of his government but as a timely alert for the BJP.

"There were several factors that resulted in the party’s poor performance. The overconfidence among party leaders and workers cost us dearly” he admitted, adding that the party will be looking into the reasons behind the defeat. "It needs deeper analysis,” Thakur said.

Initially, the CM had blamed the rise in "prices", Congress' poll plank, for the bypoll reversals. Thakur, however, decline any further comment on the issue following a reported rebuff from high command.

The party's larger agenda, however, remains on planning and strategising for the assembly polls, slated for November 2022. With a resurgent Congress, the bypoll results are could deal a blow to the party's plans to retain power in Himachal Pradesh.

Last week, BJP president J P Nadda had summoned two key ministers, Jal Shakti Minister Mohender Singh Thakur and Dr Ram Lal Markanda, minister for Tribal affairs to discuss the reasons for the losses.

Singh, the state’s most powerful minister next to Chief Minister, was in charge of Mandi bypoll and Dr Markanda was from the tribal belt. According to sources, both are under fire from the top leadership and party cadres.

Some of the statements which Singh made against the employees and his style of working are also now under scrutiny.

As reported by Outlook earlier, the feedback, especially in Mandi, reveals that the party cadres , the Panna ‘prumukhs’  and booth ‘palaks’ - a term used by BJP to refer to grass-root workers and management staff at polling stations - did not even go to vote or mobilise families in their contact. A lot of them even voted for NOTA to express their anger and annoyance at the leadership.

The ticket aspirants for the next assembly also queered the pitch for the party ensuring that sitting MLAs are ‘shown their place’ in a bid to express objections against the denying of tickets to incumbent MLAs and ministers. This has particularly been the case in Mandi –a district with 10 assembly constituencies and Kullu , where Education Minister Govind Thakur also suffered a blow in Manali.

“There would not have been so much fuss over the party's defeat had the BJP at least retained Mandi Parliamentary constituency. But we can’t overlook how things went wrong in Jubbal-Kotkhai, where a BJP senior Narinder Bragta (whose demise led to bypoll) had built up the BJP foundation in a hardcore Congress belt” a former minister tells Outlook on condition of anonymity. The BJP also offered the seats in Arki (Solan) and Fatehpur (Kangra) on a platter to the Congress 

Many feel that the bypolls defeat was clearly the result of uninsightful ticket distribution. Speculations about sweeping changes in the party set-up and state cabinet have already begun. Rumours about a possible change in leadership are also doing the rounds.

CM Thakur, however, has dismissed such rumours. "Such speculations have been routine right from the time I took over as Chief Minister. One thing,I can say with confidence is that manipulations won’t work in the BJP, especially under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

The Congress had fielded Pratibha Singh, wife of former CM Virbhadra Singh, who passed away this year. Thakur maintained that the "sympathy" card worked in Singh's favour and added that the same factor also worked for the Congress on the other three seats as well.