Dhumal assembly loss a bump in BJP’s Hamirpur hot streak?

CHANDIGARH: But for the fact that BJP stalwart and chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal lost to his protege Rajinder Rana of the Congress from Sujanpur seat in the 2017 assembly polls, which falls under

Hamirpur

Lok Sabha constituency, things might have looked too easy for his son and sitting MP Anurag Thakur. After all, he had already made a hat trick from the BJP’s bastion that has sent a saffron MP to Parliament a record 10 times, out of 16 elections since 1951.


It is also yet of make a formal announcement of Thakur’s name, though most in party take it as a given. The constituency, also known as ‘veerbhumi for its significant contribution to the Army ranks, last time elected a Congress candidate was in 1996 when Maj Gen Bikram Singh (retd) had defeated Dhumal. What may work for Anurag is that Dhumal’s loss has instead evoked sympathy from some voters and the BJP is in power in the state. Of the 17 assembly constituencies spread over four districts of Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Una, and some parts of Kangra and Mandi, 10 are represented by BJP, one by independent and six by the Congress.

The voter turnout in the 2014 parliamentary election was 66.98%, up from 58.85% in 2009. The BJP and the INC got 53.64% and 41.86% votes in 2014 and 53.47% and 43.06% in 2009. As per 2011 Census, out of total population of 16,14,242, scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) comprise 23.75% and 1.46% of the constituency’s population, respectively.. The ratio of scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) is 23.75 and 1.46, respectively out of total population. With 13,13,369 electorates and 1,732 polling stations, Hamirpur has a substantial population of OBCs, Rajputs and Brahmins, though the parties have been preferring to field Rajput candidates from here most of the times.

Raja Anand Chand the 44th king of erstwhile state of Bilaspur, was the first parliamentarian from the constituency when he was elected in 1951. Interestingly, in as many as 16 elections since then, not once a woman candidate has represented this constituency. Around 5,000 villages fall in the parliamentary constituency and rural population is 93.42%, while only about 6.58% is urban. The entire region has some villages, which are still not connected by permanent roads and there are only 90 primary health centres for such a large population.

Still with the foundation stone of AIIMS in Bilaspur and a number of educational and professional institutes, including a medical college, are coming up in the area. While rivals have been raising the issue of development, BJP claims that a lot has been done terms of connectivity, extending railways lines and improving infrastructure.

The economy of the Hamirpur primarily depends on agriculture and small-scale industries and almost every second household has a serviceman. Close to 40% of its population comprises ex-servicemen.

The Congress has been found to be struggling to zero in on the winnable candidate from here. This time too, speculations are rife over the names of leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Abhishek Rana son of Rajinder Rana.

Thakur has been fairly active in Parliament with attendance at 89% and participation in 75 debates. He is also among the MPs with highest number of questions asked at 448 and private members bill presented at 8.