From heat of Una to cool Spiti Valley bordering China, polls in Himachal head for photo-finish

Shimla: Sweltering summer heat in Una, in Hamirpur Parliamentary constituency doesn’t in any manner matches with wintry conditions at Kaza in Spiti that falls under Mandi Parliamentary constituency. One is burning at 48-49 degrees C and the other balances between 9 degrees C to 11 degrees C maximum temperature respectively.

But there is certainly a commonality between the two parliamentary seats in Himachal Pradesh. Both are political hotspots and currently witnessing one of the rarest electoral contests where two national parties – BJP and Congress, have put all their stakes to overturn the swing of the power for the June 1 poll.

In the bipolar politics of Himachal Pradesh, where the country’s opposition party (the Congress) gained power is not only eyeing retaining the Mandi seat but laying its hands on Hamirpur, where the party has not won since 1996.

Here four-time MP and union minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur is seeking his fifth election, strongly playing-up Modi-cart and Hindutva agenda.

Facing him is former Una MLA Satpal Raizada of the Congress contesting on multiple issues including the BJP bid to destabilise an elected Congress government in the state through cross-voting for Rajya Sabha.

He also banks on anti-incumbency against Anurag Thakur apart from the claim that there was no Modi-wave in the country. It’s rather an INDIA bloc set to form the next government at the centre.

Because the state is also witnessing six by-elections to the state Assembly, four of this in Hamirpur, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, is also a native of this district, has thrown all his weight in the constituency to see that his party emerges winner and puts all plans of the BJP to topple his government in jeopardy.

“This election will decide dasha and Disha ( shape and direction) of politics in Himachal Pradesh. The BJP has committed the biggest sin by unsuccessfully attempting to topple a democratically elected government.

Those who sold-out Congress hand to BJP’s lotus, they also traded their conscience. The people will not like to re-elect them” he tells poll rallies.

In Mandi, where the electoral contest has turned highly tough with the entry of Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut pitting against young royal scion Vikramaditya Singh from Congress is going to go down in the history of this parliamentary constituency as the most attention-grabbing.