Hamirpur Defeat Alarm bells start ringing for Cong Rakesh Lohumi Tribune News Service
Shimla, June 5 The comprehensive win of the BJP in the crucial byelection to the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency has set the alarm bells ringing for the ruling Congress in the hill state with the Assembly poll due in February, 2008. The margin of defeat apart, the fact that the Congress could gain lead in only two of the 17 Assembly segments falling under the parliamentary seat, clearly indicates which way the wind is blowing.
It has also revealed the extent of the anti-incumbency factor as a result of which the party has lost much ground over the past four years. At present eight constituencies are held by Congress legislators. In the May, 2004, Lok Sabha poll when BJP candidate Suresh Chandel won by a slander margin of 1,625 votes the Congress led in 12 segments.
Hamirpur has been a traditional stronghold of the BJP but the magnitude of the defeat is an unmistakable pointer to the changing mood of the electorate. The outcome of the byelection has more than neutralised the psychological advantage the Congress had gained by winning the Shimla Municipal Corporation. The euphoria of victory has evaporated and ground realities are staring the party in the face.
As 13 of the Assembly segments under the seat fall in the merged areas the result also reflects the growing anti-Congress sentiments in the lower hills.
