Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Congress, BJP big guns to bolster last leg of campaigning in Himachal Pradesh

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: In Himachal Pradesh, while the BJP is desperate to retain all four seats it won in 2014 elections, the Congress is keen to register impressive performance.

As the polling day draws near in Himachal Pradesh, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are bringing their big guns to bolster their prospects in the last leg of campaigning.

BJP supporters seen during an election rally of Prime Minister Narender Modi, at Paddal Ground, in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, on Friday, May 10, 2019. (Birbal Sharma / HT Photo)

While the saffron party is desperate to retain all four seats it won in 2014 elections, the Congress is keen to register impressive performance.

BJP’s national president Amit Shah is holding rallies in Chamba, Bilaspur and Nahan on Sunday. Shah’s rallies come two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Rahul Gandhi held parallel high-voltage rallies in Mandi and Una. At Mandi, chief minister’s close aide, sitting MP Ram Swaroop Sharma is contesting against Congress’ Aashray Sharma, grandson of former telecom minister Sukhram.

There are 15 more candidates in the fray from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, including Communist Party of India’s (CPI’s) Dalip Kaisth.

PM Modi is also scheduled to address another rally in Solan on May 13, while AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will hold a rally in Theog, 45km from Shimla, the next day.

The Congress has already issued directions to all the block units to ensure the success of Priyanka’s rally.

“Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit the state again, but date of his arrival has not been finalised yet,” said Rajneesh Kimta, party general secretary in-charge for administration. Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu is also likely to visit Mandi in next couple of days to attend a meeting.

There also are reports of senior BJP leader and home minister Rajnath Singh visiting Kangra and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath arriving at Kullu, but their tour programmes are yet to be finalised.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is set to hold an election meeting in Shimla, and Congress’ member of Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma is already touring the state.

Anand Sharma held a meeting with former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore and AICC in-charge Rajni Patil in Shimla’s Chopal on Saturday.

The state will go to polls on May 19 in the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections.