BJP reposes faith in Nahan, Pacchad, Shillai MLAs

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Nahan, October 18

The BJP has once again reposed faith in its three sitting MLAs in Nahan, Pacchad and Shillai, while opting for senior leaders in two other constituencies of Paonta Sahib and Renuka Ji in the Sirmaur district where it held three of the five seats.

While Dr Rajiv Bindal, BJP’s chief spokesman, will be the party’s nominee for the second time, from Nahan. MLA Suresh Kashyap will once again be the party’s nominee from Pacchad seat which he had won from the Congress’ stalwart GR Musafir by a margin of 2,625 votes. Shillai MLA Baldev Tomar was also given the party’s ticket to wrest the seat for the second time. BS Rana, a Superintendent Engineer of the IPH Department who had recently resigned and was keen to contest, could play spoilsport if he chose to contest as an independent.

In Paonta Sahib the BJP has chosen its old warhorse Sukhram Chawdhary, who was the district president. He is known to have a sizeable influence in the dominant Bhati community of the area.

The other seat which can prove tricky for the BJP in Sirmaur is the reserved Renuka Ji where Balbir Chauhan is the party’s nominee as the other aspirant and former MLA Hirda Ram was yet to come to terms with the denial of the party ticket. Though Hirda Ram, who had contested the last poll unsuccessfully, had remained elusive from the public domain for years, he became active some months ago and had shown an inclination to enter the poll fray yet again. It remains to be seen if he would support Chauhan failing which the BJP could face division of votes.