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BJP releases first list for poll-bound Himachal
The BJP on Wednesday announced a list of 62 candidates for the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. The move comes a day after the Congress named 46 contenders in its first list
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced a list of 62 candidates for the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, scheduled to be held on November 12. The move comes a day after the Congress named 46 contenders in its first list.
With this, both parties have announced contenders for a majority of seats in the 68-member assembly. The votes cast on November 12 will be counted on December 8, according to the election commission’s schedule.
In its first list, the BJP has included 16 new faces, skipping out on 11 sitting legislators. The party also shuffled seats of two incumbent MLAs and included five women.
The Congress, which announced its first list on Tuesday night, is banking on the old guard. The party has nominated 18 of its 20 sitting MLAs.
According to state BJP functionaries aware of the matter, the candidates were finalised at the central election committee meeting held on Tuesday night in New Delhi, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda — who belongs to Bilaspur district of the state.
Chief minister Jairam Thakur, who is also leading the party’s campaign in the state, will contest from the Seraj assembly segment of Mandi district, while the speaker of the outgoing assembly, Vipin Singh Parmar, has been fielded from Sulah. Anil Sharma, who is the son of former Union minister and Congress stalwart Sukh Ram, retained the Mandi seat. Rajat Thakur replaced his father, minister for jal shakti, revenue, horticulture, sainik welfare, Mahender Singh Thakur, on the Gagret constituency in Mandi district.
Incumbent forests minister Rakesh Pathania has been shifted from Nurpur to Fatehpur and urban development minister Suresh Bhardwaj has been moved from Shimla (Urban) to Kasumpti. Pawan Kajal and Lakhwinder Singh Rana, former Congress legislators, who joined the BJP ahead of the 2017 assembly polls, have been given tickets from Kangra and Nalagarh respectively. OBC leader Rakesh Chaudhary, who had recently switched to the BJP from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), will contest from Dharamshala.
In the Congress’s list meanwhile, three women, including sitting legislator Asha Kumari (Dalhousie), former BJP leader Dayal Pyarai (Pacchad) and Champa Thakur (Mandi) were given tickets. Thakur is the daughter of former state Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur.
Leader of opposition in state assembly, Mukesh Agnihotri, will contest from Haroli and former state Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu from Nadaun. Vikramaditya Singh, son of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, will contested from Shimla (rural). His mother, Pratibha Singh, is the state Congress president and in the running for chief minister’s post with Agnihotri and Sukhu, if the party wins.
Other prominent state leaders on the list include Satpal Raizada (Una), Ram Lal Thakur (Naina Devi), Dhani Ram Shandil from (Solan), Harshwardhan Chauhan (Shillai) and Rohit Thakur (Jubbal-Kotkha. Former Himachal BJP chief Khimi Ram will be the Congress candidate from Banjar and former state Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore will contest from Theog.
