Poll results have a strong message, Himachal is changing: CM Thakur
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which retained all four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh, has set a record of sorts. The vote share of 69 pc scored by the BJP, is highest in the country, much more than 62 pc Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat. Ashwani Sharma, Assistant Editor, the Millennium Post, spoke to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur at Shimla on Friday to get the sense of factors favouring the BJP landslide victory.
The BJP has won all four seats with a very high margin. Your response?
This was a rare, and unusual election. I never had doubts about winning all four seats. But, our goal, right from the beginning, was to increase the margin of victory. We have won Kangra Parliamentary seat by highest ever margin of 5.77 lakhs, Mandi 4.05 lakhs, Hamirpur 3.87 lakhs and Shimla (Reserve) 3.27 lakhs. There is not a single assembly constituency, including those of defeated Congress candidates and top leaders like Virbhadra Singh were the BJP hasn't got a big lead. Nine constituencies have lead between 30,000 to 39,000 plus votes. Former CM Virbhadra Singh has admitted that he has never seen such a worst defeat of the Congress in his lifetime.
The poll data shows a big jump in the BJP's vote share in the state.
A/ The vote share of the BJP in this election also has created a record in the BJP's electoral history in the country. It's 69 per cent – much higher than Gujarat's 62 per cent. Even the percentage of the total votes polled is highest at 72 per cent in any Lok Sabha election. Some assembly constituencies, including my own (Seraj) polled 81 per cent votes. The number of women voted in the poll was as high as 74 per cent. This is highly satisfying.
What kind of poll strategy was in place for the poll?
Our poll strategy was very simple. Five years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was high-point. We had started preparations for the 2019 poll immediately after 2014 elections. It's not that we became active suddenly before the poll and achieved a landslide win. Our single point agenda was to see Modi's return on the basis of good works he had done. Whether it was Ujjwala Yojana, Kisan Nidhi Yojana (some instalments already deposited to farmers' bank accounts), Modi healthcare or other welfare schemes. The schemes trust in Modi's leadership against hollow promises of the Congress, and lack of credible leadership.
But, there was a nationalist agenda in the polls to woo the voters.
A/ Not as such from our side. This was an issue which the people themselves got motivated. The people saw Modi as a decisive leader, who could strike lethally, after Pulwama, giving the Indian army a free hand to deal with those conspiring against India. There were people on the other side who were asking for proofs of surgical strike and Balakot, also raising questions and seeking count of the militants' bodies at Balakote action.
So you are giving credit of victory to Prime Minister Modi.
Modi ji deserves all credits, besides our national president Amit Shah. Our seniors viz Shanta Kumar ji, Prem Kumar Dhumal—both former Chief Ministers, union health minister J P Nadda, state BJP president Satpal Satti, my cabinet ministers and MLAs everyone have worked hard. I have campaigned in all 68 assembly constituencies and held 106 poll meetings. Our organisational machinery and back-up strategy were also well coordinated.
You were in Chief Minister's role first time to lead the BJP to the polls. Was this election different?
A/ Yes. This election was definitely different. There were people (leaders) who had misconceptions about themselves that political fortunes of the state swings with them. Pt Sukh Ram was one of them. The poll results have cleared their illusions. Himachal Pradesh has changed a lot. These leaders should accept the realities of change.
How tough this election was for the BJP?
A/ Every election is a challenge and should be fought decisively. Many people tried to create this impression that the election in Mandi, my home district, will be very tough. Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said I could not come out of my assembly constituency Seraj. All such myths have been watered down. The percentage of votes polled by the BJP has a strong underlying message. Never before this, during the tenure of any earlier Chief Ministers, such a high margin of victory was scored by the BJP.
The election of Krishan Kapoor from Kangra and resignation of Anil Sharma has created two vacancies in the cabinet. What will your fill-up these?
These will be filled-up in due course after consultations with the party high command. But this will not come in the way of the government's working and our goals on the development front.
Once the new government is formed at the centre. What kind of help do you expect?
Himachal Pradesh is lucky to get a liberal help from Modi ji. During the past one and a half year, I have worked in random with the centre, got projects worth Rs 10,000 crore sanctioned. We are working on the next agenda to explore more possibilities of help in areas like Tourism, infrastructure, Fruit processing, agriculture hydro-power and global investments.
