Grappling with its turmoil and unforeseen challenges to finalise candidates for upcoming Lok Sabha poll, the congress dilemma looks unlikely to be over soon in Himachal Pradesh, north India’s lone state ruled by the country's oldest party.
The congress romped home to power marking a splendid victory in 2022 assembly polls winning 40 of 68 state assembly seats but the party, ridden with internal strife, found it hard to name its candidates.
On Thursday, state’s Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri put all speculations to rest about himself and also his daughter Dr Aastha Agnihotri being tipped for the poll in Hamirpur—a constituency represented by union minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur—a record four-time winner here.
“My family conditions, especially the demise of my wife Simmi Agnihotri recently, don’t allow me and my daughter to take an electoral plunge. My Daughter’s name was proposed by the party for the Lok Sabha seat (Hamirpur) and even the Gagret assembly constituency going to the bypoll. We, with all humility, have expressed our inability to contest” he said at Una, his home district.
Agnihotri admitted that had the tragedy not happened in the family, such an offer for Aastha Agnihotri could have been the biggest blessing in her life.
“As far as I am concerned, I do politics on my terms and with political calculations of my own. It’s not news to me that my name emerged at the top in a survey done by the party. It’s always there. I had fought five elections and all won with the highest victory margins successively. The point here is that my conditions at home are not congenial to fight the election. So is the case with Aastha Agnihotri” he said.
Only last week Aastha Agnihotri also made a similar statement reminding us that there is no desire to go to Lok Sabha or assembly in the sad times. This is the time to pay homage to my mother, not contest elections.
“My father is keeping a brave face to the world but I know the truth,” she said.
The name of the daughter and father cropped up suddenly after the party decided to field PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh against Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut in Mandi. Later, the congress also named sitting MLA Vinod Sultanpuri, a first-timer in the House, for the Shimla (reserve) constituency.
But, unable to find a heavyweight candidate to challenge Anurag Thakur, the party turned to the Agnihotri family though Chief Minister’s favourite Satpal Raizada, a former Congress MLA from Una, was seen as a choice of Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.
The congress has not been able to win Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency since 1996 as it remains a BJP strong hold thrice also won by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in 1989,1991 and 2007.
In May 2008, Anurag Thakur succeeded his father when he was elected as a Member of Parliament of India's 14th Lok Sabha from Hamirpur constituency. He was re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha in 2009, 16th Loksabha in 2014, and 17th Loksabha in 2019.
He is seeing his fifth term in the June 1 election.
The Congress is also caught in the political web in Kangra where the party struggles to find a potential candidate in the constituency seen as BJP’s strong fortress since the emergence of former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar as the party’s strongman.
The last time the congress won this seat was 2004 and earlier in 1980,1984 and 1996. Shanta Kumar was elected from Kangra in 1989,1998,1999 and 2014.
Here too the congress is weighing options to field R S Bali, a first-time MLA and son of former minister G S Bali—a Brahmin face though the name of veteran party leader and former minister Asha Kumari –a Rajput also figures.
