Congress candidate and Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's spouse Kamlesh Thakur has won the Dehra assembly bypoll in Himachal Pradesh, making a successful appearance in electoral politics.
She defeated her BJP opponent, Hoshyar Singh, by a substantial margin of 9,399 votes. While Thakur secured 32,737 votes, 23,338 votes were polled in favour of Singh. The three Independent candidates in this seat could not get even 200 votes each.
On winning the Dehra assembly bypolls, Thakur said, "The party leaders and workers worked day and night for this day. I will give all credit to the people who stood by the party throughout. I am proud of the people of Dehra."
Dehra Assembly constituency was carved out after a delimitation exercise in 2012. Senior BJP leader and former minister Ravi Inder Singh was elected from the seat in 2012. Hoshiyar Singh won the seat as an Independent in 2017 and 2022.
Who is Kamlesh Thakur? Key things to know
- Born on April 2, 1970, Kamlesh Thakur hails from Chamnal village in Nalsuha panchayat.
- She completed her schooling in Dehra and did her Masters in political science from Government College, Chandigarh, in 1981. Reportedly, she also holds a PG Diploma in Computer Application.
- Thakur got married to Sukhu on June 11, 1988. They have two daughters
- According to reports, Thakur has been an active member of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) for nearly two decades
- The Congress victory in Dehra holds particular significance due to the constituency's strategic location. With 85,263 voters, Dehra falls within the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, a long-standing BJP stronghold currently represented by five-term MP Anurag Thakur
Last month, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said he did not want his wife to contest elections, but the party high command insisted she should, and announced her candidature for the Dehra assembly seat bypoll.
He said the party leadership had told him during the Lok Sabha elections too that Thakur should contest the elections “but I was not willing”.
“This time again when the High Command insisted, I could not refuse” given what the political scenario in the state demanded.
He said his wife emerged as the front-runner in the party survey but he still did not want her to contest as he believed only one person from the family to be in politics.
(With inputs from agencies)
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