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Electoral debut: Himachal CM Sukhu’s wife begins campaign in Dehra
In her electoral debut Himachal CM Sukhu’s wife is pitted against former independent legislator Hoshiyar Singh who is contesting as a BJP candidate this time. She began her election campaign by paying obeisance at the historic Lakshmi Narayan Temple at Chanaur in Kangra district.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakur who is the Congress candidate from Dehra assembly segment, for the forthcoming byelections, has started her election campaign on Thursday.
In her electoral debut she is pitted against former independent legislator Hoshiyar Singh who is contesting as a BJP candidate this time. She began her election campaign by paying obeisance at the historic Lakshmi Narayan Temple at Chanaur in Kangra district.
Kamlesh claimed that she would win with a huge majority from Dehra.
“The party workers are filled with enthusiasm for the forthcoming bypolls. I will deliver to the expectations of the people in Dehra and will raise their issues,” she said.
The bypolls in Hamirpur, Nalagarh and Dehra assembly segments, which will be held on July 10, were necessitated after the Speaker accepted the resignation of three independent MLAs who resigned from the House and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Dehra, a constituency under the chief minister’s home parliamentary constituency of Hamirpur but situated in Kangra district, has been a challenging seat for the Congress.
Hoshiyar Singh won as an independent from Dehra in 2022 assembly elections, defeating Congress’ Rajesh Sharma who was vying for ticket this time as well.
Singh had won from the Dehra seat in 2017 as well and prior to this BJP candidate Ravinder Singh Ravi had won from the Dehra in 2012 assembly elections.
Meanwhile, with Congress fielding CM Sukhu’s wife in the Dehra assembly segment, a rebellion appears to be brewing as Rajesh Sharma, who had been vying for the ticket, expressed his displeasure over the decision, increasing the likelihood of him contesting as an independent candidate. Sharma, who lost in 2022 assembly polls as party candidate was among the front-runners for the Dehra ticket for upcoming bypolls. He broke down in tears in front of his supporters in Dehra on Wednesday while mentioning that he was sidelined.
He had even started campaigning for the bypolls before the party decided to field Kamlesh.
Prem Koshal, the chief spokesperson of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, said, “The party high command has given tickets on the winnability factor. The party respects him and gave him the opportunity to contest elections during previous assembly polls. We hope that he will accept the ground realities.”
In Dehra assembly constituency of Kangra district, two candidates Sulekha Devi and Arun Ankesh Syal filed their nominations as independent candidates. Meanwhile, no nominations were reported in Hamirpur assembly constituency.
