Campaigning yet to start in Hamirpur bypoll

Hamirpur: With a little over 20 days to go for Assembly by-polls across the state, election fever is yet to catch up in Hamirpur district. BJP and Congress have yet to declare candidates for Sadar Assembly seat.
Samajwadi Party took the lead and announced its candidate for Hamirpur Sadar seat.
The dust and din connected with electioneering is absent.
"Having announced its nominee for Sadar assembly seat a few days ago, the ruling Samajwadi Party has commenced its poll campaign by giving instructions to district and booth level workers to work hard for regaining the lost ground and win the confidence of voters," a party leader said.
Things are expected to hot up in the coming days after Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress would announce their candidates.
It was business as usual in several semi-urban and rural areas. Cut-outs and banners are not visible barring a few of local leaders of BJP and Samajwadi Party.
Samjawadi Party had announced Shivcharan Prajapati as its candidate. The political atmosphere may enliven only after BJP announces its candidate.
The people are more worried about the local issues. The impact of Modi-led BJP government at the Centre is yet to be witnessed at the ground level.
A realistic assessment of the by-election results by an insider is that the BJP will face a tough fight here. Local BJP leaders are still banking on Modi's charisma to bag the seat.
In the 2012 elections, BJP's Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti had won Sadar Assembly seat by a margin of 7,824 votes from her arch rival BSP's Fateh Mohammad Khan. BSP has decided not to field its candidates in by-elections on 12 Assembly seats across the state, including Hamirpur Sadar assembly seat. BJP may leave no stone unturned to woo Dalits. A direct fight is expected between SP and BJP. A local SP leader said that Prajapati may polarize Dalit and OBC votes in his favour.
The Congress camp appears to be in disarray. "Without any degree of success, besides confusion over ticket among aspirants, the party is yet to launch the election campaign," said a source in the Congress camp. In the 2012 Assembly elections, Congress candidate Keshavbabu Shiv Hare had bagged 30,446 votes and stood fourth in the contest. "We are waiting for the party to declare the name of the candidate before starting campaign," district Congress committee president Om Prakash Shiv Hare said.
Hamirpur has 47 % dalit and 38% OBC voters.