It is for the first time that a prime minister has made two visits to Himachal within 2 weeks. PM Modi visited the hill state on May 31 and again on June 16 and has literally kickstarted the poll campaign in the state which goes to polls by the end of this year, writes Anil Manocha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a grand welcome in Himachal Pradesh on May 31 as a huge number of supporters gathered to witness a roadshow in Shimla to mark the eighth anniversary of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s government at the centre. Taking a trip down the memory lane, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the times he spent in the state, particularly Shimla. It may be noted here that he had spent a few years in Himachal when he was in-charge of the state’s affairs in late 90s.
On his second visit to Himachal Pradesh in a fortnight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 16 led a roadshow in Dharamshala, kicking off the BJP’s election campaign in the electorally significant Kangra region. Modi, accompanied by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, was seen waving from a flower-bedecked open jeep at BJP workers and residents as he covered the kilometre-long roadshow. The BJP, which aims to achieve Mission Repeat in the hill state, is focusing on Kangra as it sends about a quarter of MLAs to the 68-member state assembly. The party that wins maximum seats in Kangra normally forms the government in the state.
Dhumal confident of BJP win
Dhumal who had a sore throat when Tehelka caught up with him at Hamirpur said that he is “a disciplined worker of the party for the last 45 years and as a soldier will do everything on behest of the party. The Prime Minister Narender Modi is loved by the masses and BJP will again form the government in the Dev Bhoomi”. Dhumal claimed that BJP will romp home victorious breaking the jinx of never repeating a party government during the last 35 years.
The PM’s visits come at a time when the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party is also trying to gain a foothold buoyed by its electoral success in neighbouring Punjab. Interestingly, it is also the first time that the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has recently made three visits to the hill state. The unprecedented frequent visits come on the heels of Congress making a determined bid under the newly appointed State Congress President Pratibha Singh to wrest power.
