BJP fears setback in Himachal, may cast shadow over Nadda's leadership

New Delhi: With voting for the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly polls just days away, the Bharatiya Janata Party is fearing a setback in the hill state. The virtual no-show by Aam Aadmi Party during campaigning and amid some good strategic moves by the Congress, the poll calculations of the saffron party have been adversely affected.

While voting for the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly is set to take place on November 12, the BJP was desperately hoping to buck the trend and reinstall Jai Ram Thakur in the Chief Ministerial position. However, the saffron party is now fearing the worst.

Party sources stated that the BJP wanted the AAP to put up a good fight in Himachal so as to cut into the anti-incumbency votes and make it a three-cornered contest. AAP’s campaign in the state has proved to be a virtual nonstarter despite chief ministers of Delhi and Punjab Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann respectively trying to woo the voters.

The saffron party’s hopes were further adversely affected due to some good strategic moves by the Congress, which has so far also been able to curb any rebellion amongst its ranks.

“The Congress’s decision to not reveal a Chief Ministerial face in the state has gone in its favour as all factions are now contesting the elections under the central leadership with a hope that any of them may have a shot at the top job if the party comes to power,” sources said.

Despite missing the leadership of a stalwart like Virbhadra Singh, it is being felt that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s campaign is also helping make a connect with the women voters of the state. Many leaders in the party also feel that senior leader Rahul Gandhi’s staying away from the campaign trail in Himachal would prove to be a boon for the Congress.

Will loss in Himachal cast a shadow over Nadda’s leadership?

Himachal Pradesh being the home state of BJP chief JP Nadda, a win in the state assembly polls will go a long way in proving his leadership and command over the party. And Nadda has been campaigning for the saffron party, camping in the state over the past few weeks, overlooking poll strategy and campaigning.

However, despite his continued presence, Nadda has been ineffective in dealing with the rebellion that has reared its ugly head in the state unit. The situation went out of hand as several senior leaders have filed their nominations despite BJP’s diktats. This has forced the BJP to expel over a dozen senior leaders from its primary membership.

This had reportedly forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call up some rebels in a futile attempt to make them withdraw from the polling process. The lack of control over the state unit and massive rebellion by senior leaders has shown up badly on the leadership of Nadda, sources said.

Sources stated that it was a situation somewhat similar to what was witnessed in the neighboring state of Haryana in 2019 Assembly polls. Over half a dozen rebel BJP leaders were successful in the polls forcing the BJP to ally with the Jannayak Janta Party to save the Manohar Lal Khattar government.

However, with Himachal virtually witnessing a two-way contest between Congress and BJP, any hope for a post-poll alliance with a smaller group are a bleak possibility. The saffron unit leadership feels that these rebels would definitely hurt the prospects of the BJP by eating into its vote share.

A loss in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls will also be a cause for trouble for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The saffron party was hoping to improve its tally from three in 2019 to all four of the LS constituencies in 2024 as the Narendra Modi government would be seeking its third term in office.