Shimla: The Congress party in Himachal Pradesh has been brimming with over-confidence ever since the by-election results came in its favour. The party is leaving no stone unturned to establish majority and wrest power from the BJP in next year’s assembly elections.
Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri on Wednesday took a swipe at the BJP and openly ridiculed Union Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur and CM Jairam Thakur in Kullu calling them “Dulhas” or grooms seeking “Ashirwad” or blessings. EXCLUSIVE: HP Minister Bikram Thakur Rubbishes Rumours Of Leadership Change In State In Aftermath Of Defeat
This was a pointed taunt particularly against Anurag Thakur who had undertaken the “Ashirwad Yatra” before the by-elections in a bid to woo voters, which ultimately dwindled into nothing.
One groom had already sought blessings through the Ashirwad Yatra and the other one is getting ready to follow suit
Agnihotri’s remark was also a veiled jibe on the differences between the chief minister and Anurag Thakur’s family which has been vying for the top post for some time now.
The Congress had won the Mandi Lok Sabha bypoll along with all three Assembly seats — Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai.
Congress candidate Pratibha Singh, wife of late Virbhadra Singh, trounced BJP’s Brigadier Khushal Thakur (retired), a decorated officer who played a key role in the 1999 Kargil war, in Mandi by a margin of 8,766 votes. Mandi is the home district of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
The Congress candidates recorded easy wins in Arki, Jubbal-Kotkhai and Fatehpur Assembly constituencies.