Kullu scion comes forward from best bet

Our Correspondent

Kullu, October 20

Kullu MLA Maheshwar Singh filed his nomination papers from Kullu Sadar today. He was accompanied by a large number of BJP members and supporters at Dhalpur. Later, he addressed a gathering at the venue.

Maheshwar, scion of the erstwhile rulers of Kullu and chief caretaker of Lord Raghunath, the chief deity of Kullu, had won the 2012 Assembly elections from Kullu after floating the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP). He has been elected as the BJP MP from Mandi three times and has also completed one term as a Rajya Sabha member in 1992, besides remaining a two-time MLA (in 1977 and 1982).

The HLP managed to secure only one seat and failed to make an impact as a third alternative in the state. However, Maheshwar had a two-year long bonhomie with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, but their political honeymoon ended when the latter clipped his wing by inducting his brother Karan Singh, a Congress Banjar legislator, in his Cabinet as the Ayurveda Minister in 2015.

It was against this political development that Maheshwar started weighing options of the merger with the BJP which he had left with a heavy heart. He held meetings with senior BJP leaders and the HLP was merged with the BJP in August last year.

Last time, BJP candidate and state BJP general secretary Ram Singh was also in the fray for the party ticket. So far, BDC member and Congress rebel Renuka Dogra have filed nomination papers from Kullu Sadar. The Congress has reportedly not finalised its candidate for Kullu and Manali. It had finalised Bansi Lal from Anni and Aditya Vikram Singh from Banjar. The BJP has given the ticket to Surender Shourie from Banjar. Former legislator from Anni Kishori Lal also filed his nomination papers as a BJP candidate from Anni today. Kullu-Manali Hotelier’s Association president Gajender Thakur filed his papers as an Independent from Manali, while present BJP MLA Govind Singh Thakur has again been given the party ticket and is yet to file papers.