Soldiers and their families may play key role in HP polls

Hamirpur, Nov 1 – Located in the middle of the state, the district of Hamirpur always plays a major role in the elections and this time too brave soldiers, their families coupled with women folk are going to play a dominant role in the Vidhan Sabha elections scheduled to be held on November 12.
There are about one lakh ex-servicemen, serving soldiers and their family members in the district.
They are going to elect their representatives for five assembly seats of the district namely, Nadaun, Hamirpur, Sujanpur, Badsar and Bhoranj (Reserve).
The number of women folk in the district is around 2,07,139 female against 2,00,439 male voters. Women are in the majority in all five assembly segments of the district and will cast their votes at 521 polling stations across the district to elect their new representatives. And that is why leaders and workers of all the parties have their eyes on the bate bank of both these communities.
Women voters feel cheated by both parties as far as the allocation of the tickets to them is concerned. They say that despite their majority in the district they have been denied their due right as far as the tickets are concerned. The BJP had earlier assured them that they would get fifty percent reservation on the analogy of the PRI institutions; however, the party gave just one ticket in the name of Maya Sharma from Badsar seat.
On other hand, neither the Congress party nor any other parties have given tickets to the women in the district and that is causing heartburn to this community as a result of their vote en-masse in favor of the BJP cannot be ruled out.
Vandna Yogi, one of the senior leaders of the BJP told today that the party had done a lot for the wellbeing and welfare of the masses and that was why it was seeking the votes of Matri shakti( women folk) as their right.
She said that giving fifty percent reservation to the women in the PRI institutions, grant of money for the self-help groups to stand on their feet and other types of various facilities to the women folk by the BJP has proved that it was pro-people in general and pro-women in particular.
However, Anita Verma, a former Congress MLA says that the BJP has cheated the people, especially the women as far as the employment of the unemployed youth is concerned. She told that the women were going to cast votes in the majority in favor of the Congress party this time and to overturn the applecart of the BJP in the state in general and Hamirpur in particular.
Similarly, about one lakh brave soldiers (ex-servicemen, serving soldiers) and their families numbering about one lajh are also going to play a major role in the elections.
The BJP has tried to woo the voters by giving Sujanpur tira ticket to one of the ex-servicemen, Captain Ranjit Singh. Singh is having full backing from former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and his MP son, Anurag Thakur who is also the Union Information-cum-Broadcasting minister.
The former chief minister claims that whatever the BJP has done for the brave soldiers in the last eight years of the Narendra Modi regime, the Congress party could not do so since Independence. He said that various sorts of facilities had been provided to ex-servicemen, their families, serving soldiers and their families by the central government.
However, the party is facing the wrath of the people especially the Congressmen and those having allegiance with the Aam Aadmi party for recruiting youngsters as Agni veers.
BJP leaders claim that Agni veer system of recruitment in the army is beneficial for the young people and after their retirement from service, they will be given state government jobs.
However, the opposition is making this issue a major issue along with unemployment and growing lawlessness in the elections.
With the election campaign going on in full swing and leaders of all the parties campaigning in favor of their parties, it is to be seen which party will be able to manage women and brave soldiers in their favor.
Political pundits of the district say that whosoever wins the support of the women and soldiers; he/she will emerge the winner.