Four-time MLA and the current Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri is not just looking forward to his fifth term as lawmaker but is also eyeing the chief minister’s office.
Shimla-based journalist Mukesh Agnihotri once struggled for his job. After joining politics, however, he went on to win four consecutive elections, rose to the rank of a Cabinet minister, and later became the Leader of the Opposition. Now he is comfortably poised for his fifth term as a lawmaker.
However, that’s not all that Agnihotri, 60, is looking forward to in this election. He has also entered the chief ministerial race in Himachal Pradesh, the state known for alternating power every five years.
With just a few days left for voting, Agnihotri's electioneering has already gained momentum at Haroli in Una district on the Himachal-Punjab border.
“Agnihotri is drawing a massive crowd because of his aggressive postures and sharp attacks against the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The focus of the campaign is failures of the BJP under Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, corruption, alleged police constables recruitment scam, unemployment, and inflation,” says Kewal Krishan, Agnihotri’s supporter from Una.
He further told Outlook, “We are going to vote for a chief minister, not simply a fifth time MLA.”
Agnihotri’s rival is BJP’s Professor Ram Kumar, who has successively contested from Haroli twice. He lost to Agnihotri by a margin of 7,377 votes in the 2017 assembly elections. This time, Kumar is banking largely on some of the mega projects like the Rs 1,900 crore bulk drug park for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone just a day before elections were announced for the state.
Kumar told Outlook, “The people of Haroli are unhappy with Agnihotri as he has been blocking development in the constituency. The bulk drug park is the biggest gift to the state. Besides, having a potential to attract investments worth Rs 10,000 crore, the park will also generate 20,000 jobs. This was only possible due to a double engine government for a state loved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
The ‘double engine’ government is a term used by the BJP to refer to the case where the governments in the state and centre are both run by the BJP. The synergy of the same party’s governments, according to the double engine belief, refers to two-fold developmental growth.
In his campaign, Kumar also refers to welfare initiatives of the Union and state governments to reach-out to the poorest of poor.
“Haroli has seen more development during the BJP’s time than when Agnihotri was himself a minister,” says Kumar.
Agnihotri got much of his grooming as leader under former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who is known as his political mentor and Godfather. He was one of Singh’s favorites in the previous government.
Earlier known as Santokhgarh, Haroli is perhaps the only constituency which has been consistently returning Brahmin leaders to the state assembly.
Barring former BJP president Jai Krishan Sharma, who got elected from the constituency in 1993, the constituency remained a Congress stronghold with Vijay Joshi returning to the assembly thrice and Kashmiri Lal Joshi twice. All three were Brahmin leaders.
“I never thought of seeking votes on caste lines but it’s a fact that the constituency had a distinction of sending Brahamin MLAs —whether the Congress or BJP— after 1977,” says Agnihotri to Outlook.
Agnihotri, in his campaign mainly talks about the change of the political guard in Himachal, owing to the trend of rotating the government. His rallies are marked by slogans mentioning him as next chief minister. On his own, though, Agnihotri plays safe and speaks more on CM Thakur’s failure to fulfill election promises, the alleged sale of jobs, unemployment, and denial of justice to government employees.
Agnihotri also pitches strongly in favour of old pension scheme (OPS), a stand which he took in the state assembly when government employees had held demonstrations in Shimla to gherao state Assembly during the Budget session.
“OPS will be restored in the first Cabinet meeting of the new government. This is a guarantee given by the party to the employees’ unions,” says Agnihotri.
Agnihotri does not agree with the suggestion that the Modi factor will work in favour of the BJP.
He tells Outlook, “Modi is not a factor in the state polls. BJP can even bring Joe Biden for the campaign. A change of power is inevitable in this election. The slogans like Raj nahin, Riwaaz , badal raha hai are good to keep their cadres in a good mood.”
Independent journalist Amit Sharma, who is based at Una, claims what is favouring Agnihotri is his strong commitment to the constituency’s overall development.
"Massive development works, centrally funded, Swan Channelisation, opening of several government institutions, three government colleges, upgradation of dozens of schools, opening of a skill development centre, and 50-60 road projects during his term as Cabinet minister are few to mention,” says Sharma.
Haroli happens to be a predominantly rural constituency where agriculture is the main occupation but expansion of the industrial belt helped locals to get jobs. During his term as industries minister, Agnihotri faced accusations of sheltering mining mafia operating in the area brazenly. He now levels same charges against CM Thakur’s BJP government.
Agnihotri had a providential escape on the day he went to file his nomination papers. The stage set up for him to address the party supporters had collapsed abruptly, injuring several Congress workers at the dais with him.