Despite a staggering and mind-numbing victory in Gujarat, the BJP was shocked at the loss in Himachal Pradesh elections. This defeat left a sour taste in the mouth of diehard BJP fans and supporters. Till afternoon, the BJP had hopes that it could form the government with the support of rebels and independents. But, it soon became clear that the Congress was a clear winner with more than 40 MLAs in its kitty.
The defeat is rankling the BJP as Himachal is the home state of BJP national president JP Nadda and union minister Anurag Thakur. Political observers say that RRR has sunk the BJP in Himachal. The first R is Riwaz or the custom. It is customary that there is a regime change every five years in Himachal Pradesh. The BJP hoped to buck the trend, but the trend continued this time too.
The second R is Raj or governance. The BJP governance left much to be desired. The apple farmers of Himachal were particularly upset with the government for the lack of support system. Similarly, there was a lot of discontent about the Agnipath scheme. Himachal is known to be a state which sends a large number of soldiers into the army.
The third R is the rebel factor. The party has lost at least 12 seats due to the rebel factor. The rebels ate into the BJP votes and ensured that it was defeated. At least three rebels of the party have won the elections and have become the MLAs. Thus the three Rs – Rebels, Rawaj and Raj have done the BJP in Himachal Pradesh, say political observers.
