E-Paper
Himachal bypolls: BJP submits report to party high command
Bypolls are due for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly constituencies
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-appointed incharges for the upcoming byelections in Himachal have submitted their reports to the party high command about the preparations and prospects of candidates.
Bypolls are due for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly constituencies.
The report was submitted to state BJP chief Suresh Kashyap and national vice-president Saudan Singh, who was here for the party’s crucial three-day meet in Dharamshala that concluded yesterday.
The party had appointed Jal Shakti minister Mahender Singh Thakur as the in-charge for bypoll at Mandi parliamentary seat that was necessitated due to the death of Lok Sabha member Ramswaroop Sharma. He was found hanging at his official residence in Delhi on March 17.
Ramswaroop’s son Shanti Swaroop had staked claimed for the ticket and even met chief minister Jai Ram Thakur several times in this regard. On the other hand, the Jal Shati minister also expressed a desire to contest the Mandi bypolls. He had asked the party high command to allocate a ticket to his son from his assembly segment Dharampur that he has represented six times.
However, so far, the party leadership has not reciprocated to the conditions laid by Mahender, who is known for his political acumen and election management. The other front runner for the ticket is Kargil War hero Kushal Thakur and vice-president Ajay Rana. BJP’s northeast zonal secretary Ajay Jamwal also held meetings with the BJP’s top brass in Himachal fuelling speculations of sorts, while the name of Pankaj Jamwal, president Joginder Nagar assembly segment, has also cropped up.
Urban development minister Suresh Bhardwaj, who is the only heavyweight leader in Shimla district, has been appointed in-charge of bypolls in Jubbal Kotkhai. The seat became vacant after the death of the party’s chief whip Narender Bragta. His elder son Chetan Bragta is a claimant for the ticket, while the other two contenders are former zila parishad member Neelam Seraik and Dr Shushant Deshta, member of Gau Sewa Ayogh. Chetan is currently heading the IT wing of BJP.
Bhardwaj before submitting his report has held separate meetings with the contenders. A section of the party is also opposed to nepotism, former chief minister Shanta Kumar during the three-day meet apprised the party’s national general secretary.
The BJP working group meeting began in Dharamshala on Friday to discuss the party’s strategy for the bypolls and 2022 general elections to the state assembly.
Industries minister Vikram Singh Thakur, in-charge for Fatehpur bypoll, also deliberated with party workers before submitting his report. Former Rajya Sabha member Kripal Singh Parmar, Baldev Thakur and Rita Thakur are the front runners here. The state party workers have also been sending direct feedback on the choices of the candidates to BJP national president JP Nadda. The final decision will be taken by the party’s parliamentary board.
