Himachal Pradesh CM says 'overconfidence' cost BJP, calls bypoll defeat 'timely alert'

Recovering from an unfavourable election result, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Sunday attributed 'overconfidence' to the saffron party's wipeout in the bypolls saying that it had cost them 'heavily' in the elections. The Himachal Pradesh CM stated that the defeat had proven to be a 'timely alert' for the BJP ahead of the 2022 state assembly elections.

''There could be various reasons for this defeat, but there was overconfidence in the rank and file of the party which cost us heavily in these elections. But it was a timely alert for us just a year before the assembly polls, and now, we will gear up and work hard to win,'' Thakur told PTI in an interview.

The by-election to the assembly seats of Fatehpur, Arki, and Jubbal-Kotkhai and the Lok Sabha constituency of Mandi was held on October 30. The polls were necessitated by the demise of constituency leaders- Sujan Singh Pathania, Virbhadra Singh, Narinder Bragta, and Ram Swaroop Sharma. While Congress managed to retain Fatehpur and Arki, it also successfully wrestled Jubbal-Kotkhai and Mandi from the saffron party. Additionally, the victory of 6-time CM Virbhadra Singh's wife Pratibha Singh is being perceived as a setback for Thakur whose home district is Mandi.

Bypolls not a final assessment of my government: Himachal Pradesh CM 

Weighing in on a possible change in leadership ahead of the state elections, Jairam Thakur stated that 'manipulations don't work in the BJP' adding that the bypoll result should not be seen as the 'final assessment' of his government. ''I have been hearing rumours and speculations of changing the chief minister in Himachal Pradesh from the very beginning. But one thing I can say with confidence is that manipulations don't work in the BJP, especially under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So far, we had won all bypolls in the state, and this bypoll result should not be seen as the final assessment of my government,'' he stated.

''But the BJP's central leadership took a principled decision not to field a family member of any politician in the bypolls. As a result, another candidate was given the ticket, and the son of the late MLA contested as an Independent, which impacted the party's performance,'' he added. 

(With PTI Inputs)