After holding a series of meetings in the poll-bound state to formulate a strategy, Himachal’s Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) top brass held consultations with national party chief Jagat Prakash Nadda and home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss the political situation even as the opposition, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had already announced guarantees to woo the electorate.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who presided over the state cabinet meeting, left for Delhi on Wednesday. State party chief Suresh Kashyap, party in-charge for Himachal Avinash Rai Khanna, election management committee head Rajeev Bindal, party’ organising secretary Pavan Rana and chief minister’s political adviser Trilok Jamwal, who is also party general secretary, attended the meeting.
Their meeting with Nadda lasted more than three hours. Party leaders held consultations over guarantees announced by Congress and AAP in Himachal and their likely impact on the electorate. Congress on Wednesday announced 10 guarantees, including the restoration of the old pension scheme for employees, ₹1,500 monthly financial assistance for women between 18 to 60 years, the creation of five lakh jobs and 300 units of free electricity. In a bid to woo female voters of Himachal Pradesh, AAP promised 1,000 monthly allowances to all women above the age of 18 years, if the party is voted to power. Female voters comprise 49.4% of the total electorate in Himachal. The BJP leaders discussed ways to counter Congress and AAP.
The BJP has already constituted a committee under Rajya Sabha member Sikander Kumar to draft its vision document for assembly elections due this year-end.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP has already constituted a committee under Rajya Sabha member Sikander Kumar to draft its vision document for assembly elections due this year-end.
{{/usCountry}}With Congress already initiating the process for ticket allocation, the BJP leaders discussed the situation arising in the party after many leaders switched over to the ruling party from AAP and Congress, while two Independent legislators, Hoshyar Singh from Dehra and Parkash Rana from Jogindernagar, were amongst the first prominent leaders to join the BJP. The cadres had strongly resisted the entry of Hoshyar Singh in Dehra where he defeated five-time legislator Ravinder Singh Ravi while the entry of Congress MLA from Kangra Pawan Kajal has widened the chasm between his supporters and BJP workers in Kangra.
Kajal and Nalagarh legislator Lakhwinder Singh joined Congress in New Delhi recently in the presence of Jai Ram Thakur. Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal during the core committee meeting in Shimla five days ago too had expressed resentment over the entry of leaders from another party.
It is learnt that Kashyap submitted a report on the local units revolting after the induction of Independent and Congress MLAs in the BJP.
He has submitted that three more Congress MLAs from Solan and Sirmaur were interested in joining Congress.
The state leadership also submitted a report to the national president on the four assembly segments Dehra, Jogindernagar, Kangra and Nalagarh, where two Independent legislators and two from Congress had switched over to the ruling party. Kashyap and the party’s organising secretary Pawan Rana themselves had tried to placate the party’s cadres who opposed the new entrants.
Discussions were also held on the ticket allotment on the basis of four independent surveys conducted by the party, two by central agencies and two by the state party and, also shifting of constituencies of a few ministers.
The meeting also elaborated on propelling the party campaign in the state and emphasis was laid on the publicity of schemes of the Centre and the state government.