BJP has upper hand in Himachal

As Himachal assembly is going to poll on Nov. 9, 2017, the state is in an election mode. The electoral process is set to gain momentum. The two major political parties – Congress and BJP- are busy with the selection of their candidates. If History repeats, BJP is certain to win as the state has always been alternate between the two major parties in the state. Infighting plagues the Congress party very seriously. Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and the state Congress President Sukhbir Singh Sukhu are fighting each other in the party to establish supremacy. Virbhadra Singh is a veteran Congress leader and he is also one of the tallest political personalities of Himachal Pradesh. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has already announced his name as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the party in the assembly elections. He had made HP Congress President Sukhbir Singh Sukhu as the Chief of the Election Campaign Committee and Virbhadra Singh as its member. But making CM Virbhadra Singh as the Chairman of the Election Campaign Committee on Monday as announced by Janardan Dwivedi is not only puzzling for the party workers but also the general people as to what is going on in Congress Party in the state. Virbhadra Singh may be one of the most prestigious leaders of Himachal Pradesh, but the Disproportionate assets case against him undoubtedly dented his political image. Congress is also facing anti-incumbency factor in the state. The party has to do lot of explaining to the people about its performance in the last four years. Internally, the BJP in Himachal is also not united. Union Health Minister J P Nadda, who comes of Himachal, also sees CM's chair and may be inclined to the post, but former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has also set his eye on CM's post again. So, it is also very difficult for the BJP to announce chief ministerial candidate of the party in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the tallest leader of the BJP and his charisma has also seen the nation. He has the political ability to snatch victory from the jaw of defeat. So, it is no problem for the BJP even if it doesn’t announce the name of its chief ministerial candidate in the assembly elections. It is not new for the party. It has done in several state elections in the past.PM with excellent oratorical power has the ability to draw crowds in the large number. Congress has no match for him. History is also on the side of BJP. If that is so, the BJP will certainly win this assembly election. If Congress has to be in the reckoning to get power back, it has to put up a united face in the elections. The Congress party President Sonia Gandhi must take personal interest to keep everything in the party in order. Congress is required to be united at all costs. Whenever the Congress party tastes defeat, it is because of infighting in the party. The Congress has named Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh as head of the party's campaign committee for the November 9 Assembly polls, replacing state Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. Only three days back, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had named Sukhu as chairman of the campaign committee and made Singh its member. Gandhi has "approved" the name of Virbhadra Singh as the chairman of the campaign committee for the assembly elections in the state. Singh and Sukhu have been at loggerheads, with the chief minister demanding an immediate replacement as the PCC chief ahead of the elections. In the prevailing situation, the Congress leadership has to take the case of Himachal seriously and ask both the factions to patch up their differences as early as possible. Otherwise, Congress defeat in Himachal is a foregone conclusion.