Hamirpur to witness poll battle between three-time winner BJP's Anurag Thakur and Congress' Satpal Singh Raizada

Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 28 : Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur will witness the polls in the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections on June 1. The parliamentary constituency will see Bhartiya Janata Party's Anurag Thakur against Congress' Satpal Singh Raizada.
The Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency is a stronghold of the BJP. Union Minister Anurag Thakur has consistently won this seat three times. Before him, his father and former chief minister of the state, Prem Kumar Dhumal, has also been a three-term parliamentarian.
In 2019, BJP's Anurag Singh Thakur secured victory by garnering 682,692 votes (69 per cent) while Congress' Ram Lal Thakur secured 283,120 votes (28.6 per cent). Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Desh Raj came third with 7,095 votes (0.7 per cent).
In 2014, Anurag Singh Thakur secured 448,035 votes (53.6 per cent) while Congress' Rajinder Singh Rana garnered 349,632 votes (41.9 per cent). Kamal Kanta Batra of the Aam Aadmi Party secured 15,329 (1.8 per cent) and secured the third spot.
In 2009 also, Anurag Singh Thakur defeated Congress' Narinder Thakur. Anurag Singh Thakur had secured 373,598 votes while Narinder Thakur garnered 300,866 votes.
A General seat, Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency presently comprises the following 17 Legislative Assembly segments--Dehra, Jaswan-Pragpur, Dharampur, Bhoranj, Sujanpur, Hamirpur, Barsar, Nadaun, Chintpurni, Gagret, Haroli, Una, Kutlehar, Jhanduta, Ghumarwin, Bilaspur, and Sri Naina Deviji.
Anurag Thakur is the Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports and is an astute Parliamentarian who has served as a Member of Parliament in the 14th, 15th, 16th and now in the 17th Lok Sabha, wherein he won by a record Margin from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh.
Anurag Thakur is trying to woo the voters by counting the developmental works done by BJP. He said, "Today's India wants to move forward, that is why it is going to choose a strong and powerful leadership again. In six phases, the entire country has voted enthusiastically to take the resolution of developed India to fruition and to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the country for the third time. Hamirpur Lok Sabha and Himachal Pradesh are also going to vote in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party in huge numbers in the seventh and final phase on June 1."
Counting the achievements of the BJP, he also talked about opening up several educational institutes and said, "We brought up Central University. We opened up medical and nursing colleges. In Una, we built PGI worth Rs 500 crore. We built Technical University in Hamirpur, opened up a Horticulture College... opened up six new Kendriya Vidyalaya."
Congress, on the other hand, decided to go with one of the popular faces from one of the Vidhan Sabha constituencies of Hamirpur, Una and chose former MLA Satpal Singh Raizada as their candidate for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
He defeated the sitting MLA of that time, Satpal Singh Satti of BJP, in the 2017 Vidhan Sabha elections to secure his first major victory. Satpal Singh Raizada currently holds the position of Himachal Pradesh Congress' Vice President.
Polling in all four seats in Himachal Pradesh is scheduled for June 1. It will not only pit candidates vying for Lok Sabha membership from four seats but also elect members for six assembly seats that fell vacant following the resignation and switchover of dissident Congress lawmakers.
The BJP, which won all four Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the 2019 elections, is eyeing an encore this time.