Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh), May 13 (IANS) Exuding confidence, four-time MP Anurag Thakur believes that he will secure the people’s mandate in his battleground Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh easily and in the country too, owing to overwhelming public support and love for him and the BJP.
Since his maiden electoral victory in the May 2008 parliamentary bypoll at the young age of 34, Thakur served the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) as its president for four-consecutive terms since 2000.
In 2019, Thakur, a strategist and youth icon who had served the BJP’s youth wing as its President for seven years, won the Lok Sabha polls by a record margin of 3.87 lakh votes, with a vote share of 69 per cent.
The Congress last won this seat in 1996. Now, Hamirpur is the BJP’s bastion from where Thakur’s father and two-time Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was elected thrice as an MP.
Traditionally, this Lok Sabha seat has been with the BJP since 1998, when Suresh Chandel was elected as the MP. He was caught in a sting operation after the cash-for-query scandal in Parliament in 2005.
In 2007, Dhumal became the MP from Hamirpur but later resigned to take over as the chief minister. This necessitated the bypoll and since 2008 Thakur has been the MP from this seat for four-consecutive terms.
This parliamentary constituency has a significantly high literacy rate wherein people evaluate development while casting their vote, Thakur believes.
Banking on the ‘Modi factor’, Thakur, at a public meeting said, “The Modi government has ensured all-round development of the country as the people gave Modi a chance. If the Modi government scores a hat-trick, the country will become the third-largest economic power in the world.”
In every parliamentary election in the state, which witnesses a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP, Hamirpur has been witnessing more aggressive campaigning as compared to the other three Lok Sabha constituencies — Shimla (Reserved), Kangra and Mandi.
In his political pitch, it is always Thakur’s father Dhumal who plays an important role by devoting the maximum time and energy in campaigning.
Dhumal has an amazing rapport, a senior BJP leader admitted to IANS.
Also playing on the back foot on the political pitch is Thakur’s elder brother Arun Dhumal, who is the Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman.
An astute tactician, Arun has perfected the art of influencing people. Currently, he’s busy in the IPL season that lasts till May 26.
Party leaders tell IANS that whenever he gets time from his busy schedule in Delhi, Thakur devotes time to his constituency that is spread over 17 Assembly seats.
Out of these 17 Assembly seats, the BJP has 11 Legislators and the Congress holds the remaining six seats.
According to a post on Thakur’s website, he has an impressive Parliament attendance record of 85 per cent, with participation in 72 debates and a staggering 612 pertinent questions raised. All of which are the highest among young MPs in the 15th Lok Sabha.
In the 16th Lok Sabha, Thakur’s attendance in Parliament increased to 92 per cent. He also participated in 46 debates and the total number of questions raised by him was 287.
The outgoing Union minister takes credit for the introduction of new trains and extension of rail links to Himachal, building premier technical institutes and a central university and extension and maintenance of national highways in the state.
Thakur’s dedication to cricket, led him to create modern infrastructure in the small hill state. He is credited with developing stadia, including the world-class showpiece stadium in Dharamsala, and one cricket academy in the state capital.
The Rs 100-crore stadium in Dharamsala first figured on the international cricket map in 2005 when it hosted a warm-up tie between the touring Pakistani team and the Board President’s XI.
Thakur’s cricketing journey as a player began at the age of 14. He led the Punjab U-16 team that won the All India Vijay Merchant Trophy. Later, he captained the Punjab U-19 and North Zone U-19 team that won the All India Championship.
At the age of 25, Thakur, who believes ‘Abki baar 400 paar’, was elected the HPCA president, the youngest to head a state cricket association affiliated with the BCCI.
During the poll campaigns, he’s often seen playing cricket with locals and playing hide-and-seek outdoors with the children.
Polling for all four Himachal Pradesh Lok Sabha seats will be held on June 1. The results will be out on June 4, as in the rest of the country.
(Vishal Gulati can be reached at gulatiians@gmail.com)
