It promises to be the most exciting electoral battle in the hills in recent times. With multiple rallies by PM Narendra Modi, the BJP has hit the ground running. Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP started off strong but has of late diverted much of its focus to Gujarat. The Congress campaign rests on the shoulders of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra but is yet to pick up pace. News18 tours the state to gauge public sentiment and political strategies ahead of Himachal Pradesh elections 2022.
Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur is gearing up to welcome Union home minister Amit Shah and extending their gratitude to fulfil their long-pending demand of according them the tribal status on Saturday.
Shah will be in Sataun Kasba of Pachhad constituency that falls in Trans-Giri region and will address a gathering including people from the Hatti community.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur, who is supervising the preparations of the event, will also attend it.
Union Cabinet had in September given its approval to add the Hatti community of Trans-Giri area to the list of notified Tribal communities.
“Hatti community will thank Union home minister Shah for fulfilling the promise,” added a senior party leader.
The event will send a message to Hattis that the BJP has taken care of their interests, said a senior party leader as the decision to accord the tribal status to the community will impact Shillai, Paonta Sahib, Renuka, and Pachhad constituencies. Apart from these, the Hatti community has a significant presence in the Nahan, Solan, Shimla, Shimla Rural, and Choupal seats. The assembly polls in Himachal are expected to take place in the next two months.
Thakur had been proactively following the issue of Hatti community getting the tribal status. While there is social, cultural as well as geographical similarities between the Hatti community of the Trans-Giri region and the Jaunsar community of the Jaunsar-Bawar area of Uttarakhand, the latter had received the status of a tribal region in 1968.
The promise was made by the BJP in 2009 onwards which had been fulfilled last month by the Centre. Hattis are a community whose traditional occupation comprise selling home-grown crops, vegetables and meat in places called ‘haat’, a local market.
There are a total of 154 panchayats in the Trans-Giri area. According to senior BJP leaders in the state, around 1.60 lakhs Hatti community people in the state will be benefitted with their tribal status.
Shah to Launch Election Campaign Song
Sources in the party said Shah is likely to launch the election campaign song, sung by legendary singer Udit Narayan, during the event. The song focusses on achievements of double-engine government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Thakur.
“The song has elements of Himachal, in tone and in depiction. Every Himachali would be able to relate to it,” said a source.
The BJP won 44 of the total 68 Himachal assembly seats in the 2017 polls. Elections in the state are due this year-end.
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