Clear divide between Shimla and Kangra parliamentary constituencies in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla and Kangra, both parliamentary constituencies in Himachal Pradesh, have an equal number of assembly segments. Despite this, Shimla seems to be favored when it comes to cabinet inductions. The Congress cabinet currently has more members from Shimla than Kangra. It is believed that capturing Kangra district is key to forming the government in the state. The BJP, buoyed by recent electoral victories, may benefit from the disparity in representation in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Congress is facing internal strife and accusations of over-concentration of power in Shimla. The BJP may field a Congress rebel from Kangra in the elections.

Even though the two parliamentary constituencies hold the same number of assembly segments, Shimla emerges as a favourite over Kangra when it comes to picking of people to be inducted into the cabinet.

The present Congress cabinet has five ministers, one deputy speaker, and three chief parliamentary secretaries from Shilma, while two ministers, a speaker, and two CPSs from Kangra.

Both parliamentary constituencies have 17 assembly segments each.

Kangra Lok Sabha seat has 13 assembly segments from Kangra and four from Chamba district. The Shimla LS seat consists of seven assembly segments from Shimla and five each from Solan and Sirmaur districts. Kangra, though overlooked, holds the key to power in the state if the pattern so far is to be believed. It has become kind of become a thumb rule that the party which captures Kangra district forms the government in the state.

The rule was vindicated once again in 2022 assembly polls, when Congress formed the government on the back of 10 assembly seats from Kangra.

Initially, only one minister was inducted in the cabinet from Kangra. However, as tensions brewed in the party, another was included in cabinet expansion in December 2023.

Since 1966, when Kangra was merged with Himachal, people have a feeling that the district has been given a short shrift — which has reflected, at least this time, in an iniquitous representation in the cabinet.

For this reason and more, the disparity, in the coming Lok Sabha election, may benefit the BJP, which has been upbeat since the Ram Temple consecration and may leverage the sentiments of the people in the Hindu predominant state.

The party also received a vote of confidence when six Congress MLAs cast their lot in its favour during the recently held Rajya Sabha election.

On the other hand, Congress is struggling to quell infighting in the party and is accused of allowing over-concentration of power in Shimla district.

There is also a speculation that the BJP may field Sudhir Sharma, one of the six Congress rebels, from Kangra parliamentary constituency.

According to the long held convention, when Congress comes to power in the state, its chief minister hails from old areas of Shimla or Sirmaur, while when the BJP forms the government, the CM comes from merged areas of Kangra and Hamirpur.

For the first time in 2022, the state got a chief minister in Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu from the merged areas.

The BJP won all four Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and swept the polls by a huge margin in 2019, with Krishan Kapoor from Kangra, Ram Swaroop Sharma from Mandi, Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur, and Suresh Kashyap from Shimla elected as MPs.

However, the death of Ram Swaroop Sharma led to by-elections in the Mandi parliament seat in 2021. The election was won by Pratibha Singh, the wife of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and current Congress state chief.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)