Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 21
Terming the Himachal bypoll defeat as a "timely alert", Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today said the election results should not be viewed as the final assessment of his government.
He said though there were several factors that resulted in the party's poor show in the four bypolls, overconfidence among party leaders and workers cost them dear. "We shall be looking into the reasons behind the defeat, for which a deeper analysis is required," Thakur said in Mandi. On speculations of a possible leadership change in the state, Thakur said, "I have been hearing such rumours right from the time I took over as the CM. One thing I can say with confidence is that manipulations don't work in the BJP, especially under the leadership of PM Modi."
On the bypoll results, Thakur said the BJP lost the Mandi Lok Sabha seat by a thin margin. The Congress had fielded Pratibha Singh, widow of former CM Virbhadra Singh, and she gained advantage from sympathy, he claimed. This factor worked for the Congress on other three seats as well, he said. He claimed the BJP was very well-entrenched in the state with a strong cadre base and he would tour the entire state to enthuse workers before the next Assembly elections.
Courtesy: Tribune News Service