PM Modi starts his poll campaign in Himachal Pradesh: What you need to know about the politics in the state

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, on October 5 where he kicked off the BJP's election campaign in the mountain state. In Bilaspur, Modi inaugurated Rs 1,471-crore 750-bed AIIMS hospital.

Describing himself as Himachal ka beta, Modi said that the people of Himachal are being benefitted because they chose good leaders. Along with AIMS, Modi also inaugrated Rs 140-crore Hydro Engineering College in Bilaspur and laid foundation stone for:

• Rs 350-crore Medical Devices Park to be set up at Nalagarh 
• Four-lane project to be constructed under the Bharat Mala Project with a cost of Rs 1,692 crore. 

What is the current political scenario in Himachal Pradesh? Himachal Pradesh has a 68-member legislative assembly. 

• In 2017, the BJP won the polls with 44 seats getting 48.8% of the votes, while the Congress won 21 seats with 41.7% votes.
• However, its CM candidate, Prem Kumar Dhumal, shockingly lost from the Sujanpur seat. 
• The party made five-time MLA and former state cabinet minister Jairam Thakur as the CM of the state.
• The BJP will bank on the popularity of PM Modi to win the state elections as the Congress party can given tough competition to the BJP.
• The contest in HP has always been a two-party contest between the BJP and Congress. However, this time, it might get into a triangular fight with the entry of AAP.

What are the challenges for the BJP: 

Alternative governments: Retaining government will be the first challenge of the BJP as the state is known for alternative government every five years.

• In 2012 assembly election, Congress under former late CM Virbhadra Singh had won the election with 36 seats, 1 more than the magic number of 35. BJP under Prem Kumar Dhumal could get only 26.
• In 2007, the BJP under Dhumal won the election with 41 seats while Congress won 23.
• Similarly, in 2003, Congress won 43 seats and formed the government while BJP got 16. 
• In all, in the last three elections, the people of the state have voted differently. 

Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh: The second big challenge would be to combat the growing influence of wife of Late CM Virbhadra Singh, Pratibha Singh, who has been made as the state president of the Congress. 

• She represents the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and is quite a popular figure there. 
• Surprisingly, she has also defeated BJP CM Jairam Thakur in 2013 Lok Sabha bypoll.
• The Congress party can give tough competition to the BJP in the state as it fights the poll on unemployment, inflation and price rise.
• Pratibha Singh, however, has not spilled the beans on her becoming the CM candidate and is right now focussing on winning the state elections.  

AAP challenge: The third challenge comes from the Aam Aadmi Party. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had visited the Mandi constitutency and held a Tiranga Yatra in April 2022 with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in order to collate support for his party.

• Soon after, by April 14, 18 officer bearers of the party, including the state president Anoop Kesari joined the BJP. 
• AAP hastily dissolved all the party units in the state.
• In June, it appointed Surjit Singh Thakur as the new state president. 
• The AAP wants to cut into the votes of the Congress and pose a challenge to the incumbent government of the BJP. 
• However, this looks distant as Congress has a strong ground in HP and former Congress leader Virbhadra Singh had been strong CM who had the support of people.
• The state goes to polls by the end of this year along with Gujarat.