With round 4 lakh registered voters distributed over 5 seats, Sirmaur district has been a Congress stronghold. It’s also one among Himachal’s most backward, poverty ridden districts the place traces of social anomalies corresponding to polyandry can nonetheless be discovered right this moment.
The registered voters embrace over 16 thousand youngsters who will vote for the primary time. Male voters outnumber feminine voters by round 30,000. Collectively, they may decide the destiny of 36 candidates representing totally different events in addition to independents, who’re within the fray.
The state planning division categorises 32 panchayats beneath its backward class. Many of those villages are with out roads, and have non-existent or failing major training and well being infrastructure.
A significant factor on this election throughout the district, well-known for its garlic and ginger crops, is the Centre’s promise of ST standing to the Hatti neighborhood that’s unfold throughout this district and the adjoining Jaunsar Bawar space of Uttarakhand, the place they already benefit from the standing and the attendant advantages it brings. With the Union Cupboard clearing the proposal for his or her tribal standing this September, there may be jubilation amongst Hattis in all 5 constituencies of the district, particularly Pachhad (SC), Shri Renuka Ji (SC), Shillai and Paonta Sahib, the place their numbers are vital. That is anticipated to spice up the BJP’s tally, although Dalits of the realm are indignant, as they concern they should share their grants pie because of this.
Other than polyandry among the many Hattis, that is additionally the one district in Himachal the place the custom of khumli (a model of the khap panchayat) nonetheless prevails.
Sirmaur district has 5 constituencies
The state’s first chief minster, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar, got here from Sirmaur. Different well-known faces from the realm are WWE wrestler The Nice Khali (Dalip Singh Rana) and the environmentalist, late Kinkri Devi.
The BJP has been making regular inroads into this district. Within the 2017 Meeting elections, Congress gained two seats—Shri Renuka Ji (SC) and Shillai, whereas BJP gained three—Nahan, Pachhad (SC) and Paonta Sahib.
Himachal BJP president Suresh Kashyap, a loyalist of CM Jai Ram Thakur, was elected MLA from the Pachhad (SC) seat twice, in 2012 and 2017, earlier than he contested and gained the Shimla (SC) Lok Sabha seat in 2019. Following his Lok Sabha victory, first-timer Reena Kashyap gained the by-election from Pachhad. She can be from the Jai Ram and Kashyap camp in state BJP.
Pachhad was as soon as a Congress stronghold, with former Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gangu Ram Musafir successful it constantly over seven Meeting elections. The loyalist of former Congress CM Virbhadra Singh, he gained the seat for the primary time in 1982 as an unbiased, earlier than becoming a member of Congress and successful the seat beneath its banner six extra instances until 2007. However since 2012, when he misplaced to BJP’s Suresh Kashyap, he saved shedding—to the state BJP president in 2017 and to first-timer Reena Kashyap within the 2019 bypoll. This time, Congress gave the ticket to former BJP insurgent Dayal Pyari, whereas BJP will proceed with Reena. Denied the Congress ticket, Musafir has determined to struggle as an Impartial.
Former Meeting speaker Rajeev Bindal, the Nahan MLA, was compelled to resign as state BJP president in Could 2020,when the vigilance division arrested an outdated affiliate and the then director of well being, after the 2 had been heard allegedly discussing kickbacks over the telephone, in an audio clip that had gone viral. The Opposition alleged the affiliate was near Bindal when he was the well being minister within the Dhumal authorities (2007-2012).
He was succeeded as state BJP president by Kashyap, who sidelined him as he was a loyalist of former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal. Later, by cultivating good relations with BJP nationwide president J.P. Nadda, Bindal clawed again into the celebration and is now the chairman of BJP’s election administration committee. He’ll face off towards Ajay Solanki of the Congress, a CM hopeful, whom he beat in 2017.
The incumbent MPP and Energy Minister Sukhram Chaudhary is the third BJP MLA from Sirmaur, from the Paonta Sahib constituency. One other Dhumal loyalist, he too was predictably sidelined by Kashyap. This time, he faces a troublesome battle towards 9 candidates, together with Kirnesh Jung of the Congress and former Youth Congress president, Manish Thakur, representing the AAP.
The opposite two constituencies are at the moment represented by Congress MLAs Harsh Vardhan Chauhan, a five-time winner from Shillai, and Vinay Kumar from Sri Renuka Ji (SC), who has been successful it since 2012. Harsh Vardhan faces BJP’s Baldev Singh Tomar, a Jai Ram Thakur loyalist who was one of many principal movers behind the awarding of ST standing to the Hattis, whereas Vinay Kumar is pitted towards his relative Narain Singh, representing the BJP, guaranteeing shut fights on each seats.