Setback to Congress, BJP retains Hamirpur LS seat
... by a margin of over 80,000 votes

The BJP on Tuesday retained the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat by a massive margin of over 80,000 votes, giving a severe jolt to Congress. BJP candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal, a former Chief Minister, polled 3,82,069 votes against 3,02,069 votes polled by his nearest rival, Forest Minister Ram Lal Thakur.

A humbled Ram Lal, who scored a hat-trick by losing for the third time in a row from this constituency, tendered his resignation from the candidate, owning moral responsibility for the defeat.

The victory of BJP was not unexpected but the margin of victory was astonishing and even party leaders were not expecting such a comprehensible win. The victory was all the more significant as the Congress lost in 15 out 17 Assembly segments falling under the Parliamentary seat spread over four districts of Kangra, Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur.

The Congress could get lead only in two constituencies of Kotkehloor, represented by Ram Lal himself and Santokhgarh in Una District. Ram Lal announced his resignation at a Press conference in Bilaspur when counting was in progress and said that he had sent in the resignations to AICC president Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister VB Singh.

There were four Independent candidates in the fray but they together could poll only 19,000 votes. The polling was held on June 2 and 7,03,447 out of the 11,75,238 electorate exercised their franchise.

The BJP secured an unprecedented lead of over 60,000 votes in five Assembly segments in Hamirpur, the home district of Dhumal. In Una district also the Congress which had secured a combined lead of 21,895 in five Assembly segments, trailed by 9,117 votes but it did manage to get a slender lead of over 600 votes in Bilaspur, the home district of Thakur. Dhumal secured a massive lead of over 20,000 from his Bamson Assembly constituency, sending clear signals that he still held sway in his district.

The crucial by-election had great significance for BJP as the election was caused due to the expulsion of former BJP member Suresh Chandel in the 'cash for query scam', and the Congress was hoping to wrest the seat by making corruption as its main poll plank.

The BJP has won the seat for the sixth time, fourth time in a row, and increased its margin ofvictory this time by over 78,000 votes. Dhumal had also won the seat for the third time and had not contested the election in 1998 and 2004.

Elated over the results, the former Chief Minister said it had great significance as the people had given a massive mandate against corruption, nepotism, deteriorating law and order and rising prices. However, he admitted that the controversial audio CD released by suspended Congress leader Vijay Singh Mankotia had also contributed to the victory. He sought the resignation of Virbhadra Singh on moral grounds.