Why Himachal polls are a test for JP Nadda

Himachal
Pradesh is for all intents and purposes Jai Ram Thakur’s state. And Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become relevant in every election since he
rose to power in 2014. Despite these big players in the poll gambit, the
Himachal Pradesh elections are effectively a referendum on another BJP leader –
JP Nadda. The referendum comes two months after his party president tenure was
extended to 2024. Therefore, it will be Nadda who will lead the BJP to the next
Union elections.

Also Read | 5 key battlegrounds in Himachal this poll season

And Nadda
realises the significance of the party’s results in the polls on Saturday. The
former MLA from Himachal Pradesh has ensured that the state’s BJP campaign
bears his imprint whether in terms of how tickets were distributed and the
profiling of Nadda loyalist Jai Ram Thakur.

Also Read | 5 issues Himachalis will be voting on this election

The
61-year-old leader who has had to fill the very big shoes of Amit Shah, has
focussed his attention on remote polling areas and has called upon party
leaders to ensure maximum number of voters from such areas vote. The Akhil
Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has been deployed to ensure youth participation.

Also Read | Who will be Himachal’s next chief minister?

JP Nadda is
also facing up to major challenges. In his home district of Bilaspur, Nadda’s
son Harish Nadda is going door-to-door to campaign. In these very districts,
two rebels are threatening BJP’s hold. There is a buzz within political circles
about Nadda also eyeing the chief minister’s chair in Himachal, according to a
report in The Quint citing rumours.

Nadda’s
signature is also visible in the way in which big leaders have been distributed
tickets. In the strong Congress seat of Kasumpti, the BJP has fielded four-time
MLA Suresh Bharadwaj, who has won from Shimla (urban) all four times. In Shimla
urban, BJP has fielded Sanjay Sood, owner of the famous Sood tea stall. A
similar experiment has been attempted in Nurpur.