Hamirpur : Hamirpur came alive with catchy poll campaign songs and vibrant dhol groups standing at some distance from each other, frantically beating their drums in colorful attires.
Young men wearing saffron patkas with lotus prominently figuring on them, some also sporting saffron caps with ‘Phir Modi, Phir Anurag’ written across, danced to the foot-tapping beats, as hundreds of women dressed to the occasion clapped cheerfully.
Four-time sitting MP Thakur is the BJP nominee from Hamirpur, which will go to polls with the three other Lok Sabha seats in the state on June 1.
Thakur’s young supporters carried him for about 200 metres before the smiling MP climbed onto an open vehicle for the roadshow amid an electrifying atmosphere.
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and other senior state BJP leaders joined him, as the colourful roadshow concluded with a large public rally.
He said that Pakistan was defeated by India in 1965 and 1970. Now Congress means Pakistan will be defeated again. There are assembly by-elections along with Lok Sabha in Himachal.
He said that there is no person left in the country who has not been cheated by Congress. The state Congress government had claimed to provide five lakh jobs in the first cabinet, but all the claims have failed. In the 10 years of Modi government, not a single minister was accused of scam. Welfare of poor people has been the identity of Modi government in last ten years.
It was a morale-boosting sight for the BJP and Thakur as the audience turned into a lively crowd, heartily responding and cheering, particularly the women.
Thakur’s past performance
Thakur won all four previous elections from Hamirpur with impressive margins.
Thakur’s past performance, and the initiatives he took for his constituency, particularly those relating to health, mobile wellness van clinics, women’s self-help groups, sporting events, and Bharat Darshan for students, have won him many admirers.
Just before the beginning of his roadshow, someone asked him if he thought PM Modi and BJP’s target (of winning 400 seats) was too ambitious, pat came the reply from Thakur: “There was a time when 200 was considered an ambitious total in IPL, but now we see scores of 270-280… Some are even thinking beyond. Our target is ambitious, but not unrealistic.”