Embarrassment for BJP in Himachal; Lost all 4 seats to Congress
Shimla, November 03 (KMS): In a major embarrassment for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, the Congress won the Mandi Lok Sabha bypoll along with all three Assembly constituencies – Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai – in bypolls.
Congress candidate Pratibha Singh won the Mandi seat, a prestige for Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur as it falls in his home district, by defeating BJP’s greenhorn Brigadier (retired) Khushal Thakur, by a slender margin of 8,766 votes.
The Congress candidates won Arki, Jubbal-Kotkhai and Fatehpur Assembly segments with comfortable margins.
Elated over party’s victory, Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri told media that this poll was the semifinal ahead of the 2022 Assembly poll.
“The people have lost faith in BJP owing to its anti-people policies. It is a vote for change. We are going to make a comeback in the state in the next Assembly elections,” he said.
