The Congress secured more than 30,000 votes for the first time in Nalagarh, as its candidate Hardeep Bawa polled 34,608 votes, 46.43 per cent of the total votes, in the byelection, the result of which was declared today.
The Congress had earlier won the seat in the 2017 elections when its candidate Lakhwinder Rana polled 36.49 per cent votes. The party’s vote share had declined to 26.89 per cent in the 2022 elections when Hardeep Bawa could secure 20,163 votes. From 26.84 per cent in the 2022 Assembly elections, Bawa’s vote share climbed to 46.43 per cent this time, an impressive increase of 19.59 per cent. He thanked the voters as well as the party leaders for his landslide victory. He said that it was due to the policies of the state government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu that he won the byelection by an impressive margin of votes.
“BJP leaders hit below the belt during the election campaign but voters announced their decision by electing me. The party has breached the 30,000 votes mark for the first time,” he claimed. The BJP also increased its vote share from 23 per cent in the 2022 elections to 34.37 per cent this time but it was no match for the Congress’ steller performance.
BJP nominee KL Thakur, who lost the byelection by 8,990 votes, had secured more than 30,000 votes in the 2012 and 2022 elections. He had secured 35,341 votes in the 2012 elections and 33,427 votes in the 2022 elections as an Independent candidate. His vote share was as high as 55.66 per cent in 2012, which had declined to 44.51 per cent in 2022. It dipped to 34.37 per cent this time.
