The fate of the next government to take over the throne of Himachal politics was sealed in the EVM last Saturday which went into the poll for its 68 assembly constituencies and saw a total voter turnout of 74.05 of the total 55 Lakh voters, slightly less than the previous poll in 2017 which saw the total voter turnout of 75.6%.
Voters of Himachal Pradesh have always looked up to a politics of change. Apart from the prevailing matters in the state’s assembly elections, anti-incumbency has played an important role in the state.
Following the suit, since 1990 when Shanta Kumar of BJP took over the throne as the CM for just two years, there hasn’t been a case in three decades when the ruling party has defended their government.
Since 1990 BJP and the INC have ruled the state thrice each in six elections with the last resting by CM Jai Ram Thakur of the BJP. Now, by going with the trend several political pundits can feel the turnaround in the state alongside other major factors that can work well for the Congress which is looking for its lost ground in the Himalayan state.
If in case the anti-incumbency factor worked out for the Congress, the veteran Congress leader Pratibha Singh and wife of the late congressman Virbhadra Singh, who has served as the state’s Chief Minister for five terms.
The name of Pratibha Singh has been pitched as a serious contender by the party insiders, however, she hasn’t contested the election and holds the Mandi’s Lok Sabha constituency after winning it in the by-election.
Pratibha Singh:
Pratibha Singh the sitting MP from Lok Sabha is Himachal Pradesh’s five-times CM Virbhadra Singh’s second wife. She also holds the post of the president of the state’s Congress Committee.
She was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 from the Mandi constituency by defeating Maheshwar Singh. In 2013 she returned to the seat by winning the by-poll election against the current CM of Jai Ram Thakur, which was earlier represented by her husband before the latter became the CM towards his last term.
Pratibha Singh was chosen yet again to the Lok Sabha from the same seat in the by-poll after the death of BJP’s Ram Swaroop Sharma and hence has not contested the recently concluded Himachal Pradesh’s assembly election.
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Her son Vikramaditya Singh is also a member of Himachal’s assembly who holds the seat from Shimla Rural constituency and will look to defend his seat this time as well.
The 66-year-old politician has also been linked to a couple of controversies, however, that didn’t dent her rapport much.
• In 2013, she was involved in a controversy for giving incorrect information regarding election expenditures.
• In 2016, The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet against Pratibha Singh and her husband, Virbhadra Singh, in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
Pratibha Singh seems confident about Congress’ bright chance of winning the election in the state, alongside the state’s major issues of anti-incumbency with higher voter turnout might give Congress the edge it desires.
“Congress will win with a good majority and make the government in the state. We'll win at least 40 Assembly seats. BJP's tenure in HP was disappointing as the state saw no development or special schemes for the state,” said Pratibha Singh while interacting with the media over the Congress's chances of returning to power.