Tag: Himachal

Himachal

Himachal: Choppers Rescued Over 780 People, Says IAF

By LokMarg

Choppers belonging to the Western Air Command carried out over 50 sorties over the last 48 hours, rescuing over 780 citizens in the flood-affected areas of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, Indian Air Force officials informed on Wednesday.

Speaking on the ongoing relief and rescue operations in Fatehpur sub-division of Kangra district, Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, Nipun Jindal, told ANI, “A total of 800 trapped civilians were rescued on August 15. Further rescue operations are underway with the help of NDRF, the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. All necessary arrangements have been made for those rescued so far. Relief camps have also been set up for them.”

Earlier, on Wednesday, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit regions of Indora and Fatehpur in the Kangra district.

He took stock of the ongoing evacuation efforts in the flooded downstream of Pong Reservoir and other relief works. Interacting with people in relief camps at Damtal and Shekhpura, the CM enquired about their well-being while assuring them of all possible assistance from the government.

He also expressed concern over the loss of lives and material damage wrought by heavy rains and flooding in the state’s upper reaches.

Sukhu said colossal damage has been caused to public and private properties. Scores of locals helplessly saw their homes being washed away while vast areas under harvest have been submerged under water, leading to untold losses to farmers.

“I assure you of a special package, especially for these areas, including compensation and relief materials,” the chief minister said.

He directed the administration to make sure that people sheltered in relief camps are properly cared for.

Apart from providing free lodging and boarding, the health department has also deputed medical teams to take care of children, elders besides others, officials informed.

The chief minister also directed officials to ensure sufficient stock of eateries and essential medicines for relief operations.

The toll from rain-related incidents over the last three days has been pegged at 71, officials said on Wednesday.

Speaking to ANI, Onkar Chand Sharma, principal secretary, Disaster Management, said incessant rainfall from August 13-15 has claimed a total of 71 lives while the net fiscal loss this monsoon has been estimated at about Rs 7,500 crore.

“More damage was wrought on August 13,14 and 15 than the entire month of July. The net loss to property and public infrastructure has been estimated at Rs 7,500 crore. This estimate might be revised going forward as rescue and relief operations are still in progress and a detailed estimate will take time,” Sharma said. (ANI) 

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Sukhu Oath CM Himachal

Sukhu Took Oath As The 15th CM Of Himachal

By LokMarg

Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, who climbed the political ladder up from the grassroots level in Himachal Pradesh, took oath as the 15th Chief Minister of the hill state at a ceremony in Shimla on Sunday.

The oath-taking ceremony took place at 1.30 pm on Sunday at Raj Bhavan, Shimla.
A loyalist of the Gandhi family, Sukhu is a four-time MLA (58) and former chief of Congress in the state.

Sukhu is known as an affable and approachable leader who has a vast network in the hill state due to his long years in the organization. He also holds a broad organizational experience in the state owing to his connection with the grand old party for many years.

He was the party’s state unit president from 2013 to 2019 and spoke his mind even if it was not to the liking of the party’s tallest leader Virbhadra Singh, a six-time Chief Minister.

Sukhu has been in favor of promoting and grooming younger Congress leaders in Himachal Pradesh.

With Congress chief ministers over the past four decades coming from Rampur Bushahr, Congress central leadership was apparently keen to expand its choice.

Sukhu will be the first Congress leader from “lower Himachal” to come to the top post.

Sukhu belongs to a middle-class family. He was active in politics from his student days and fought elections as an NSUI candidate. He was president of NSUI and the Indian Youth Congress in the state. He fought and won elections for Shimla Municipal Corporation. Sukhu won the assembly election for the first time in 2003 from Nadaun.

Sukhu was chairman of the Congress Campaign Committee for the assembly elections in which the party focused on local issues and made lucrative promises including an old age pension scheme.

He will be the second chief minister from Hamirpur district after BJP’s Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Congress won the Assembly polls in the state, winning 40 seats. (ANI)

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Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Himachal CM

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu To Take Oath As Himachal’s CM

By LokMarg

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu was on Saturday chosen as leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Himachal Pradesh paving way for his elevation as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

The newly-elected MLAs had on Friday adopted a resolution authorizing the party high command to select the leader of the legislature party. A meeting of party MLAs was held here in the evening.
Congress leadership had earlier in the day sounded that Sukhu will be the new chief minister after which supporters of state Congress chief Pratibha Singh had raised slogans demanding that she should be made the Chief Minister.

Himachal Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajeev Shukla, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Himachal observer Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh Congress Chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh, and several other Congress leaders were in Shimla to oversee the election of the new leader.

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said that the high command has chosen Sukhu as leader of the legislature party and Mukesh Agnihotri will be Deputy Chief Minister.

“Oath ceremony will take place tomorrow at 11 am,” he said.

Sukhu, 58, lauded Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi after his election and said the party will fulfill its poll promises.

He said the new government will “bring change”.

“I am thankful to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and the people of the state. Our government will bring change. It is my responsibility to fulfill the promises we made to the people of Himachal Pradesh. We have to work for the development of the state,” he said.

Sukhu said he and Mukesh Agnihotri, who will be made Deputy Chief Minister, will work as a team.

“Deputy CM designate Mukesh Agnihotri and I will work as a team. I started my political career at the age of 17 years. I will never be able to forget what the Congress party has done for me,” he said.

Congress won the assembly polls in the state and got 40 seats. (ANI)

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Cong Himachal Party Chief Pratibha Singh

No Groupism In Cong: Himachal Party Chief Pratibha Singh

By LokMarg

Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh informed that they will be holding a meeting to decide upon the name of the Chief Minister of the hill state in the evening.

“We will be holding a meeting in the evening and then deciding the name of the CM. There is no groupism and everybody is with us,” Pratibha Singh said hours after her statement sparked a row of controversy.
State President Pratibha Virbhadra Singh, in a conversation with ANI, was seen hinting at her desire to be chosen as the CM of the state as she said that the party cannot ignore the person (her husband- Virbhadra Singh) in whose name it contested the polls and won.

“They can’t neglect his (Virbhadra Singh) family. We won on his name, face, and work. It can’t be the case that you use his name, face, and family and then give all the credit to someone else. Even High Command won’t do this,” she had said.

Having said the aforesaid, Congress leader Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said that the MLA selected by the party’s High Command would become the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

Meanwhile, another Congress leader Kuldeep Singh Rathore also said that there are no differences of opinion among the party MLAs as everyone has come here on the party ticket.

“Nobody is narrating any different story. everyone has been chosen by the party ticket and everyone would respect the Congress high command’s decision,” Kuldeep Singh Rathore said ANI.

He further added that a decision will be taken by the party leaders, and supervisors Bhupinder Hooda and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel will be conveyed to the party high command and they will then take the final call, he said.

Chhattisgarh CM and party’s Himachal supervisor Bhupesh Baghel clarified that there was no question of neglecting anyone and the party would go on by taking everyone together.

“There is no question of neglecting anyone. Everyone will be taken together to go ahead. Everyone has the right to express their opinion. There is no problem,” CM Baghel said as he landed in Shimla for the meeting.

He said that it is the victory of the people of Shimla and Congress leaders and workers. “Everyone worked hard. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra played the most crucial role, and we also had blessings of Sonia Ji and Rahul Gandhi Ji,” said Baghel.

Finalizing its chief ministerial candidate for Himachal Pradesh appears to be a big task for Congress with various aspirants in the fray including Pratibha Singh. Former state Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri are also seen as the other contenders for the post.

Congress returned to power in Himachal Pradesh after five years in the results announced on Thursday. The Congress won 40 seats in the 68-member assembly riding on anti-incumbency.

While Congress won 40 seats in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP won 25 seats. Independents won three seats and AAP failed to open its account in the state.

In terms of vote share in Himachal, Congress is only marginally ahead of the BJP has got 43.88 percent of votes compared to 42.99 percent of its rival. Others garnered a 10.4 percent vote share in the hill state.

Himachal Pradesh has a long tradition of alternating governments and Congress was on the right side of anti-incumbency. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur resigned following the party’s defeat in the polls. Notably, in the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP formed the government by winning 44 seats while Congress secured 21 seats. (ANI)

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Himachal Trends: Cong Past Halfway Mark; BJP Rebels Lead In 3 Seats

By LokMarg

The vote counting trends of the Election Commission of India show that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s rebels are leading from their respective constituencies in Himachal Pradesh as Independent candidates. However, Congress is leading in 34 seats and BJP in 31.

BJP’s rebel Hiteshwar Singh is leading the Himachal assembly election as an independent candidate from Banjar with 8585 votes. However, Congress’ Khimi Ram gained 8574 votes so far, and BJP’s Surender Shourie is trailing with 7424 votes.

Another BJP rebel candidate contesting as an Independent candidate from Dehra is leading with 10903 votes so far. Besides, Congress candidate Dr. Rajesh Sharma is ahead of BJP’s Ramesh Chand by receiving 5848 votes by 10.55 am.

Meanwhile, the BJP rebel KL Thakur is also leading in Nalagarh with 12378 votes.

The Chief Minister of the state, Jai Ram Thakur is currently leading in Seraj’s 23136 votes while the Congress candidate for this seat, Chet Ram votes are still in four digits as he gained 5524 votes so far.

BJP’s Suresh Bharadwaj, who is also fighting the ‘outsider’ tag in Kasumpti is trailing with 6629 votes as Congress’s Anirudh Singh is leading at the seat with 11143 votes.

Surprisingly, in Theog, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) Rakesh Singha is leading in Theog constituency with 4340 votes with Congress and BJP candidates trailing behind with 4407 and 2302 votes.

As BJP is looking to establish a footing in the Haroli seat which has been represented by Congress’s Mukesh Agnihotri since 2003, the latter is leading with 10514 votes, and BJP’s Ram Kumar trails with 8610 votes.

According to the ECI, in Shimla, Harish Janartha of Congress is leading with 8071, and BJP’s Sanjay Sood is still trailing with 7172 votes in the recently held assembly elections.

The counting of votes for Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh began at 8 am on Thursday.

In Himachal, there are 68 counting halls in 59 locations across the state.

The elections for 68 assembly seats in the state were held on November 12 and around 75.6 percent polling percentage was recorded.

The hill state witnessed an intense campaign with BJP trying to return to power for a second consecutive term and Congress backing on its ’10 guarantees’ that the party listed out in its manifesto to take them home. The emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party as the third major political force in the state has intensified the electoral battle.

Besides these three, parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (CPI), and Rashtriya Devbhumi Party (RDP) are also in the fray.

Both BJP and Congress have claimed victory in the state which has had a tradition of changing governments for the past several years. If BJP wins then it will beat the anti-incumbency and change the trend of the alternate government in the state.

Notably, in the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP formed the government by winning 44 seats while Congress secured 21 seats. (ANI)

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