Turning the tables on his predecessor's home turf, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday, September 26, 2026 mounted a pointed defence of his government's development record in Mandi district — and named senior BJP figures as unlikely validators of his work.

Jairam Thakur's Mandi Promises Under the Spotlight

Sukhu opened his broadside by targeting former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, who governed Himachal Pradesh from 2017 to 2022 and hails from the Mandi region. 'Mukhyamantri rahte hue Jairam Thakur ji ne Mandi ke liye anek vaade kiye the' ('While serving as Chief Minister, Jairam Thakur ji made many promises for Mandi'), Sukhu wrote — arguing that residents had hoped for accelerated development across the district, but the momentum never arrived. The charge lands on familiar political ground: in Himachal Pradesh, every incoming government reflexively audits the promises left unmet by its predecessor, and Mandi — with its mix of urban pockets and rural constituencies — has long been a barometer of state-level development credibility.

Cross-Party Praise as a Political Shield

The more striking element of Sukhu's post is the names he invoked. He cited Shanta Kumar, the veteran BJP leader and former Chief Minister, as someone who has praised his government's work. He also named Dr. Radharaman Shastri, former Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, as a voice of appreciation. Both figures carry significant weight within the state's political establishment — making their endorsement, if accurate, an unusual instance of cross-aisle acknowledgement. Sukhu pressed further: sitting BJP MLAs from Mandi, he said, offer him praise when they visit his office. The claim is unverified, but the political logic is sharp — if your opponents are complimenting you privately, the argument goes, the development record speaks louder than the opposition's public criticism.

Sukhu's Governance Pitch for Mandi and Beyond

The CM framed his approach as empathy-driven and ground-up. 'I have seen the problems of the people, felt their pain,' he said, 'and with that very experience I am working for the development of Mandi as well as all of Himachal Pradesh.' It is a deliberate register — placing personal witness above bureaucratic process, common in India's regional politics but particularly resonant in a hilly state where physical access to communities remains a genuine governance challenge. Himachal Pradesh has alternated between Congress and BJP governments roughly every five years since the 1980s; the current Congress administration under Sukhu arrived in power in December 2022, ending Thakur's five-year tenure.

With state budget cycles and assembly sessions on the horizon, specific infrastructure allocations for Mandi district will be the concrete test of the claims both sides are making. Political praise travels fast in hill constituencies. Tarmac and water pipelines travel slower — and voters know the difference.