Slide in BJP’s fortunes in Kangra continues

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 12

The BJP suffered a major setback in municipal council elections in entire Kangra. The BJP lost seven out of eight municipal councils in Kangra. The only saving grace for the party was the municipal council Dehra, the area that is represented by the BJP MLA Ravinder Ravi where party managed thin majority winning four seats while the Congress won three seats.

The Congress was also claiming major victory in most of the panchayat elections and none of BJP leaders from Kangra has countered the claim.

The party has been on decline in Kangra that is biggest districts of the state in terms of population.

The district is home to about 25 per cent population of the state and had been a stronghold of the BJP. The decline of the BJP in the district started in the last Assembly elections in 2012. In 2012 Assembly elections the BJP managed to win just three out of 15 Assembly segments in Kangra while the Congress won 10 seats. The defeat of BJP was attributed the Dhumal and Shanta factions in the BJP and the fact that rebels of both the camps contested elections against official candidates.

After that the state leadership of the party decided to divide the organization unit of Kangra BJP into four districts. It divided Kangra BJP into Palampur, Nurpur, Kangra and BJP organizational district. The decision was taken against the wishes of the leaders of Shanta faction who dominate in Kangra district.

The decision was also taken keeping in view the policy of some leaders of the party to create smaller districts out of Kangra.

However, the decision of dividing organizational unit of Kangra BJP has failed to revive party fortunes. Since the division of Kangra BJP into four organization districts the party has failed to act as a collective opposition in one of the biggest districts of the state. Almost all the major BJP leaders from Kangra, including Kishan Kapoor, Ramesh Dhawala, Ravinder Ravi and Vipin Parmar, have limited themselves their respective constituencies.