BJP candidates take lead in poll campaigning, pacify disgruntled

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, April 13

BJP has taken a lead in campaigning in Lok Sabha elections and Assembly bypoll in the state. The BJP had declared its candidates for Assembly bypoll and Lok Sabha elections last week of March, though the Congress is yet to finalise the names of its candidates.

Sudhir Sharma

Advertisement

In Dharamsala Assembly constituency, the Congress rebel and now BJP candidate, Sudhir Sharma has managed to take along most of the BJP leaders from the area.

Davinder Bhutto

From Kutlehar constituency, in Una district Davinder Bhutto was facing people’s ire for switching sides, but was meeting people to quell their anger

Chaitanya Sharma

From Gagret Assembly constituency also, the Congress rebel and now BJP candidate, Chaitanya Sharma, has taken to campaigning at the ground level in right earnest

The BJP candidates include six Congress rebel MLAs who have taken to campaigning at the ground level. Early declaration of their candidature by the BJP has helped the candidates take along the disgruntled leaders. During the last about two weeks when their candidature was announced, the Congress rebels and now the BJP candidates have spent time meeting the disgruntled BJP leaders and mollifying them in their respective constituencies.

In Dharamsala Assembly constituency the Congress rebel and now BJP candidate, Sudhir Sharma has managed to take along most of the BJP leaders from the area. But for BJP MP from Kangra Kishan Kapoor, most of the BJP leaders from Dharamsala have joined campaigning. Sudhir Sharma has also started visiting villages and voters at the ground level whereas the Congress was still pondering over its candidate from Dharamsala.

From Kutlehar constituency in Una district Davinder Bhutto, the Congress MLA and now the BJP candidate, has started campaigning. Sources in the constituency said that though Bhutto was facing people’s ire for switching over, he was meeting people on one-to-one basis to quell their anger. The sources said that Bhutto was extending help to needy people in the constituency liberally to win them over.

The BJP has kept out former minister Varinder Kanwar from Kutlehar Assembly constituency by making him in-charge of campaigning for Hamirpur parliamentary constituency. Varinder Kanwar had remained an MLA from Kutlehar consecutively four times before he lost to Davinder Bhutto. Now Bhuto has been made the BJP candidate and leaving Varinder Kanwar unhappy. By keeping Kanwar out of campaigning in Kutlehar the BJP has tried to quell the rebellion in party. Congress is yet to announce its candidate from this constituency. The delay in decision was helping BJP candidate cover lost ground and win over angry supporters.

From Gagret Assembly constituency also, the Congress rebel and now BJP candidate, Chaitanya Sharma has taken to campaigning at the ground level. The Congress is yet to decide its candidate from Gagret. Sources said that Rakesh Kalia, former Congress MLA who had joined the BJP during the last Assembly elections and now has again returned to Congress fold, might be able to give tough challenge to Chaitanya Sharma from Gagret in case he was given ticket by Congress.

In Lok Sabha polls also the BJP has taken lead in campaigning in Kangra and Hamirpur parliamentary constituencies. In Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur has launched an aggressive campaign at the ground level meeting people and influencer groups. In Kangra the BJP candidate, Rajeev Bharadwaj was banking heavily on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win the parliamentary elections. Congress was still pondering over which candidate to field in Kangra and Hamirpur parliamentary constituencies.