Congress candidate Kamlesh Thakur today became the first woman in the state to be elected to the Vidhan Sabha as the wife of a sitting Chief Minister. The tag of being the Chief Minister’s wife, notwithstanding, Kamlesh established herself as the leader of Dehra and people voted for her in the expectation of development in the area.

The Congress was in a poor position in Dehra when Kamlesh was announced as the party candidate for the byelection. Dehra is one of the most backward areas of Kangra district and people blame the 60-year rule of the Congress for its backwardness.

The Congress had not won the seat since 2012 when it was carved out of the Jaswan Assembly constituency. Besides, she had to bring together whatever was left of the depleted party cadre in Dehra.

Kamlesh had started her campaign by claiming to be ‘Dehra Ki Beti’ as her paternal Nalsuha village falls in the Assembly constituency.

While the Chief Minister campaigned aggressively in Dehra, Kamlesh canvassed separately, visiting almost every corner of the constituency. She rarely shared the stage with her husband in political rallies.

Kamlesh met Congress workers and gave them the hope of victory. Besides, she also met BJP workers in villages, greeting them with a simple smile.

Her approach of meeting people irrespective of their party preference won the hearts of people. Even on the election day, she visited her own polling booth and also met staunch BJP workers there.

After winning the byelection, Kamlesh told mediapersons that it was too early to reveal her plans for the constituency. She said, ‘I thank the people of Dehra who supported me in this hot and humid climate. I have received the ‘shagun’ from my paternal area and shall return the favour,” she said.