Hamirpur Parliamentary Constituency is one of four Lok Sabha (national legislature) seats in Himachal Pradesh, India. This constituency encompasses the entirety of Hamirpur district along with segments of neighboring districts, making it a significant political hub in the region.
Historically, Hamirpur has been a stronghold for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party has dominated the constituency in the Lok Sabha elections, securing victory in 10 out of the 11 elections held since 1989. Prominent leaders from the BJP have represented this seat, including former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who won twice, and his son, Anurag Thakur, who has won the seat four times and is a current candidate in the ongoing general elections. Anurag Thakur, serving multiple roles in the central government, such as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, has been a prominent national figure.
The parliamentary constituency of Hamirpur includes 17 Assembly constituencies which include Dehra, Jaswan-Pragpur, Dharampur, Bhoranj, Sujanpur, Hamirpur, Barsar, Nadaun, Chintpurni, Gagret, Haroli, Una, Kutlehar, Jhanduta, Ghumarwin, Bilaspur and Sri Naina Deviji
In the 2022 Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, the Congress party won 10 out of these 17 constituencies, with the BJP taking the remaining seven. However, political dynamics in the region have shifted recently.
In a dramatic turn of recent events, four Congress MLAs from Hamirpur voted in favor of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan during the Rajya Sabha elections on February 27, 2024. These MLAs were later disqualified, leading to vacancies and scheduled re-elections for their assembly seats alongside the national general elections on June 1. The disqualified MLAs, who had represented Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chetanya Sharma (Gagret), and Devinder Kumar Bhutto (Kutlehar), subsequently joined the BJP and were given party tickets to contest the elections again.
The stakes are particularly high for both the BJP and Congress in the upcoming elections. For the BJP, retaining Hamirpur is crucial, especially given the recent shifts in local political allegiances and incumbency factor. For Congress, the challenge lies in overcoming the internal discord and reinforcing its position in a traditionally BJP-dominated constituency. the party has yet to decide its candidates for all elections.
Overall, the Hamirpur constituency remains a key battleground in Himachal Pradesh, reflecting broader political trends and shifts in the state’s political landscape.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
