INDIA VOTES 2024: BJP puts speculations to rest, fields Anita Som Prakash from Hoshiarpur

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Hoshiarpur, April 16

For the past several days, speculations in Hoshiarpur regarding the BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha seat ended on Tuesday when the party announced the names of its three candidates from Punjab and fielded Anita Som Prakash as its candidate from Hoshiarpur.

According to her biodata, Anita Som Prakash, wife of Hoshiarpur MP and Union Minister of State Som Prakash, does not have a long political career but she has been associated with various social organisations for a long time. These include social service institutions such as Sehat Suvidha Sanstha, Helping Hand Organisation and Janata Di Rasoi.

Mixed reaction

While there is happiness in one camp of the BJP with Anita Som Prakash getting the ticket, there is silence in other factions. Some senior workers expressed their displeasure on the social media. A senior worker posted on Facebook, “Samajh ton Pare, Rabb hi Rakha” (Beyond understanding, only God can save), others also expressed their displeasure. However, leaders and workers of the Tikshan Sood-led faction, who are considered close to Som Prakash, not only congratulated Anita Som Prakash, but also made claims of winning the seat with a huge margin.

Veterans’ hope

Former MP and Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla, along with Som Prakash’s wife, were seeking BJP ticket from Hoshiarpur. Aam Aadmi Party’s Assembly candidate from Dinanagar in 2017 Joginder Singh Chhina, who had left AAP and joined the BJP before the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll in 2017, a woman academician and a former DGP were also trying for the ticket. Apart from these, other local leaders also queued up for the ticket and had applied for it. Out of the large number of ticket aspirants, the party once again expressed confidence in sitting Lok Sabha MP Som Prakash, although this time the ticket has been given to his wife. It is believed that Som Prakash’s poor health was becoming a hindrance in his getting the ticket due to which Anita Som Prakash was fielded.

Factionalism a problem

Anita Som Prakash may have won the race for the ticket, but it is definitely going to be a difficult task for her to overcome the internal factionalism prevailing in Hoshiarpur unit of BJP. Factions led by Vijay Sampla, Avinash Rai Khanna and Tikshan Sood have been in the BJP for a long time and the relations between them have also remained a point of discussion. Amidst the efforts of district BJP president Nipun Sharma to act impartially without getting entangled in factionalism, a new type of factionalism is going on separately. Som Prakash’s closeness to the Tikshan Sood camp is well known, while at the same time, his not being visible in the programmes of other factions is not hidden from anyone. Resentment among a section of BJP workers and people over the alleged inadequate presence of Som Prakash in his constituency can also become a cause of trouble. Old-timers, especially those associated with the party since the Jan Sangh days, who were traditionally considered voters and supporters of the BJP, also do not seem to be in a good mood. Among workers, there appears to be an undercurrent. In all these circumstances, it will be a big challenge to control the factionalism before it flares up. It will also be a big challenge to convince indignant workers and leaders to come along. Infighting among leaders, who appear to be together from outside but are unhappy from within, will have to be surmounted.

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