Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife, Kamlesh Thakur, won the key bypoll for the Dehra assembly seat. Making her electoral debut, Ms Thakur won by a margin of 9,399 votes over her nearest rival, BJP's Hoshiyar Singh.
The bypoll, held on Saturday, witnessed a high turnout with 65.42% of the electorate exercising their franchise. Ms Thakur garnered 32,737 votes, while Mr Singh managed 23,338 votes.
The polling was conducted to fill vacancies created by the resignation of incumbent members, all Independents, who are now in the fray as BJP nominees.
The Dehra Assembly constituency, established after the 2012 delimitation exercise, had been a bastion of the BJP. Former minister Ravi Inder Singh and later Hoshiyar Singh, as an Independent, had secured victories in previous elections. However, the latest results signify a shifting political landscape in the Kangra district.
Chief Minister Sukhu's vigorous campaign in Dehra played a key role in securing Ms Thakur's debut victory.
Chief Minister Sukhu expressed his joy over the outcome, highlighting the Congress' resurgence following a setback in the state during the Lok Sabha polls. "Just a month ago, BJP candidates claimed three Lok Sabha seats with a significant margin. Now, our confidence is bolstered with assured victories in two seats and a tough contest in Hamirpur," he remarked, attributing the win to the government's dedicated public service over the past 16 months.
He also said that the conspiracy to topple the government had failed.
Earlier this year, the Congress government in Himachal faced a crisis after it lost the lone Rajya Sabha seat despite having the numbers due to cross-voting by some of its MLAs. The six MLAs who voted for the BJP were disqualified by the Speaker.
The cross-voting paved the way for the victory of BJP's Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha election after a tie, and then a draw of lots sealed the fate of Congress pick and senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi.
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