E-Paper
After ticket allocation, BJP tries to rein in rebels in Himachal
To ensure Mission Repeat, the BJP is heavily banking on PM Narendra Modi’s charisma and the strength of a double engine government.
Shimla With rebellion erupting in 18 assembly segments after the BJP’s ticket allocation, the party’s top leadership at the state and central level is trying to rein in disgruntled legislators.
Wary that a rebellion may mar BJP’s prospects in the upcoming assembly elections, party’s national president Jagat Parkash Nadda, who is on two-day tour to state, has tasked the party’s troubleshooters – chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, party’s election in-charge and national vice-president Saudan Singh, Bihar’s former health minister Mangal Pandey, state party chief Suresh Kashyap, party in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna and his deputy Sanjay Tandon – to placate the rebels.
Initially, the party had allocated their ticket to Indira Kapoor in Chamba, but after the sitting legislator Pawan Nayyar threatened to revolt, the BJP changed the candidate and fielded Nayyar’s wife Neelam Nayyar, which led to Kapoor and her supporters revolting against the party.
In Bharmour, the party dropped sitting legislator Jiya Lal Kapoor and gave the ticket to neurosurgeon and former IGMC medical superintendent Janak Raj Pakhretia, which has miffed Jiya Lal Kapoor and his supporters.
Congress leader Harsh Mahajan, who joined the BJP last month, met Indira Kapoor and managed to pacify her. However, as there is still one day to go for nominations, the saffron party is treading cautiously.
In Nalagarh, former legislator KL Thakur, who was hopeful to get a BJP ticket, has raised the banner of revolt and filed nomination as an Independent after the party backed sitting legislator Lakhwinder Singh Rana, a former Congress leader, who jumped ship two months ago.
Discontent within the saffron party’s ranks is also brewing in Kangra, an electorally significant district known for tilting scales.
Former MLA Praveen Sharma, a staunch loyalist of former chief minister Shanta Kumar, is unhappy about being denied a ticket and filed his nomination papers as an Independent.
During the 2017 elections, too, Praveen Sharma had contested as an Independent after the party chose Indu Goswami, who is now a Rajya Sabha member, as its candidate. BJP state in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna met Sharma in the presence of former chief minister Shanta Kumar.
Later, he also held talks with Jawali MLA Arjun Thakur, who is also on warpath against the party after being denied a ticket. The party has chosen Sanjay Guleria as its face from Jawali instead.
“So far, both Sharma and Singh have expressed their willingness to support the party,” said Khanna.
The party faces biggest rebellion in Fatehpur assembly segment where BJP has lost three consecutive elections due to infighting.
Former Rajya Sabha member Kripal Parmar, who was not given a ticket yet again, has already launched his campaign in Fatehpur, while another rebel, former Lok Sabha MP Raja Sushant is in fray as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate.
This time, the BJP has fielded forest minister Rakesh Pathania from Fatehpur, instead of Nurpur. Parmar, who was initially the front-runner for ticket, has launched a no-holds-barred attack on Pathania accusing him of corruption and illegal felling of trees.
During the 2021 by-elections, the BJP had reposed faith in Baldev Thakur, after which Parmar had resigned from the post of the party’s state vice-president.
However, the party had been able to pacify him, though he stayed away from the campaign.
So far, the party has been successful in preventing Dharamshala MLA Vishal Neharia from rebelling.
Though his supporters have resigned en-mass, Nehria has accepted the party decision and said he remains a dedicated worker of BJP.
In tribal Kinnaur, former MLA Tejwant Negi, who lost with merely 20 votes against Congress’ Jagat Singh Negi in 2017 is unhappy with the ticket allotment to forest corporation vice-chairperson Surat Negi, a close associate of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.
In Kullu, BJP’s vice-president Ram Singh filed nomination as an Independent, and in Banjar Hiteshwar Singh, son of former Lok Sabha member Maheshwar Singh, filed his nomination.
BJP’s former MLA Manohar Dhiman has filed his nomination against sitting legislator Rita Dhiman from Indora. In Ani, sitting MLA Kishori Lal is up in arms, while in Karsog, Yuvraj Kapoor is likely to file his nomination papers. So far, 20 candidates have filed their nomination from Theog, the highest from any segment.
Former BJP MLA Rakesh Verma’s wife Indu Verma will also file her nomination as an independent candidate from Theog. Indu had joined Congress after the party high command preferred former HPCC president Kuldeep Rathore over her. The BJP high command had contacted her, but at the end of the day allocated the ticket to Ajay Shayam.
Agricultural Produce Market Committee chairperson Naresh Sharma is also reportedly miffed. In Karsog, BJP leader Yuvraj Kapoor will also file his nomination papers and in Sundernagar veteran BJP leader Roop Singh Thakur’s son Abhishek Thakur has decided to test the waters. To ensure Mission Repeat, the BJP is heavily banking on PM Narendra Modi’s charisma and the strength of a double engine government.
