A total 376 candidates submitted their papers on Tuesday, the last day to file nominations, taking the number of candidates in the fray for the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, to 630.
As many as 72 candidates filed nomination papers in the Kangra district. With this, a total of 129 candidates have jumped into fray for 15 seats in Kangra.
The nomination papers were scrutinised on October 27, while October 29 is the last date for withdrawing candidature. The number of the candidates is likely come down as many of those who have filed papers are the covering candidates for the official candidates of the parties.
Cong announces Hamirpur candidate
The Congress, which is hoping to regain power in the state, announced the candidate for the Hamirpur assembly segment hours before the deadline for filing the nomination papers. The party has fielded Dr Pushpendra Verma, the son of former industries minister Ranjeet Singh Verma as its nominee.
The ticket for the Hamirpur seat was announced at the last minute due to squabbling between camps led by HPCC chief Pratibha Singh and state election campaign committee chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. Earlier, the party was considering Ashish Sharma, but the Sukhu camp opposed his candidature. Now, Sharma has jumped into the fray as an independent.
{{/usCountry}}The ticket for the Hamirpur seat was announced at the last minute due to squabbling between camps led by HPCC chief Pratibha Singh and state election campaign committee chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. Earlier, the party was considering Ashish Sharma, but the Sukhu camp opposed his candidature. Now, Sharma has jumped into the fray as an independent.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Verma, who is the general secretary of Himachal Pradesh State Medical Association, has been active in Hamirpur politics for the last two-three years. Other prominent faces, who filed the nomination papers on the last day include Congress’ Jagdish Chand Sapehia from Sulah, Yadvinder Goma from Jaisinghpur, Surender Kaku from Kangra and Dr Rajesh Sharma from Dehra. BJP’s Pawan Kajal filed nomination papers from Kangra. Kajal is a two-term legislator from Kangra. He had quit Congress to join BJP in August this year.
CPIM’s Tikender Singh Panwar filed nomination papers from Shimla (Urban) seat. Panwar, a former deputy mayor of Shimla, will try his luck from Shimla for the second time. He had also contested the 2012 assembly elections from this seat.
Among AAP candidates who filed their nomination papers were Chaman Rakesh Ajta from Shimla (Urban), Prem Thakur from Shimla (Rural), and Rajesh Channa from Kasumpti, and Manish Kumar from Dehra.
Rebels in the fray
Meanwhile, both the Congress and BJP have failed to quell rebellion in many constituencies as aspirants, who were denied tickets, have file d nominations as independents.
Former seven-term Congress legislator Gangu Ram Musafir has filed a nomination as an independent candidate from the Pachhad constituency. Congress denied the ticket to Musafir, who is also a former assembly speaker, after he lost three consecutive elections. The party reposed faith in Dayal Pyari, a former BJP leader, who had joined the Congress last year.
In Sulah assembly segment, former two-term legislator Jagjiwan Paul has filed papers as an independent candidate, while in Theog Indu Verma, wife of former BJP legislator Rakesh Verma, is also contesting independently. Verma had joined Congress recently, but was denied a ticket.
Former vice-president of BJP’s ST cell Vipin Singh Nehria and former block president Anil Chaudhary have also jumped the poll fray.