Himachal elections: Targeting Virbhadra alone won’t work, BJP needs to get imaginative

What does the BJP offer?

The question now being asked by the public is, “True, many things go against the Congress regime, but what do you have to offer? What you claim to be delivering is what has been in the pipeline for long. We want to know what you will do on coming to power.”

“The BJP's problems have been compounded by the fact that the Modi aura is fast disappearing, with the job market shrinking, the economy in doldrums and inflation on the rise, people will think twice before voting. We need a proper road map to build on the anti-incumbency against the Congress regime,” pointed out a BJP supporter in Solan.

This phenomenon is quite visible. Earlier, one could see heated debates around the persona of Modi with his 'Bhakts' vociferously praising him in comparison to all the other prime ministers that the country has seen. Now the debates at tea stalls, bus stands and sweet shops - which are common points of public interaction in this hill state - have shifted from his personality to the performance of his government with the very same 'Bhakts' on the defensive.

While the Congress detractors have been pointing to the continuing reports on the massive infighting in the party between the factions led by Virbhadra and the state Congress president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the fact is that things are not much different within the BJP. Eying the possibility of an easy win, there is a tussle over who would be the chief minister with the names of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Union health minister JP Nadda, top RSS functionary Ajay Jamwal and even the state unit chief Satpal Satti doing the rounds. What came as a shock to this reporter was the information that some media persons are batting for Dhumal, which is definitely not their job.

Every time there is a BJP event in the state, the local gossip comes down to whose posters and banners dominated the venue, who was close to the central leader, who was the chief guest and so on.

“The Congress needs to realise that nothing is lost. It needs to get together and give a fight like it has done in the past. With Modi's image as a 'messiah' taking a beating over the last few weeks, there is a chance,” pointed a Congress supporter.

People point out that while the BJP has been focusing its attack on Virbhadra and the failures of his government, the latter has been unleashing sops daily in the remote corners of the state. Observers say that the BJP needs to learn its lesson from the experience of 2012 polls when an overdrive against Virbhadra had proved to be counter-productive and it had lost the chance of repeating a victory, despite everything in favour of the Dhumal led government.

“The biggest issue in Himachal remains employment. It is true that the Virbhadra government has failed on this front but so has the BJP ruled Central government. BJP has nothing new to offer at this point of time,” points out another political observer.

Meanwhile, much hype is now being built around Modi's proposed visit to the state on October 3 where he will be laying the foundation stone of All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) near Bilaspur. He is also likely to inaugurate an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Sirmaur and lay the foundation stones of both campuses of Central University at Dehra and Dharamsala online from Bilaspur. He will also be addressing a public rally.

Meanwhile, the state is expecting polls to be announced any time after Monday, when the Election Commission of India (ECI) team finishes its tour of Himachal. “Last time polls were announced on October 3. If the ECI announces it before the same date this time, Modi's visit would be under the shadow of election norms,” pointed the analyst.

It remains to be seen what the BJP promises in its poll manifesto as the campaign builds up.