Himachal BJP, Congress fear rebellion over ticket

Tribune News Service

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, October 17

The BJP and the Congress are struggling to finalise the list of candidates though the filing of nominations for the Assembly elections began today. They are apprehensive that leaders who are denied ticket may rebel and switch sides.

A tightrope walk for ruling party

Posters against Kripal Parmar, a former BJP MP, and Baldev Thakur, who was BJP candidate for Fatehpur bypoll last year, were seen in the constituency. Parmar was denied ticket for the bypoll

In the Bhoranj segment of Hamirpur, former BJP MLA Anil Dhiman, son of former minister ID Dhiman, has criticised Kamlesh Kumari, sitting party legislator, for ignoring his area and supporters

There is speculation that five-time MLA Ravinder Ravi may revolt if the BJP fields Independent MLA Hoshiyar Singh from Dehra. In fact, Ravi met the Chief Minister in Delhi on Monday

The Congress had failed to reach a consensus on 18 of the 68 seats in a meeting chaired by AICC president Sonia Gandhi. The situation is no different in the ruling BJP. In one of kind move, the BJP held a poll in which the office-bearers of a block were asked to vote for the candidate whom they thought should be given ticket.

The last date for filing nominations is October 25. As October 22, 23 and 24 are government holidays, the two parties will have to hasten the process of ticket allotment to give time to candidates to file nomination papers.

The top leadership of the two parties are holding parleys on ticket allotment but the contenders are losing patience. “There have been heated arguments over the selection of candidates in the meeting of the Congress Central Election Committee, with all factions seeking ticket for their loyalists. The decision on candidates for seats like Shimla Urban, Nurpur, Shahpur, Sulah, Kangra Sadar, Dehra, Bharmour, Nachan, Sarkaghat, Manali and Kot-Kehloor is still pending,” says a Congress poll committee member.

State Youth Congress president Nigam Bhandari, who is seeking ticket from Kinnaur, Youth Congress working president Yadopati Thakur from Sarkaghat in Mandi and Surjit Bharmouri, state general secretary from Bharmour in Chamba, have threatened to resign from the party if denied ticket. Subhash Manglet, a former MLA from Chopal in Shimla, has revolted against Rajeev Shukla, Congress in-charge for Himachal, and accused him of favouring Rajnish Khimta.

Kripal Parmar, a former BJP Rajya Sabha MP, today took a set of nomination papers though the party is yet to announce candidates. Parmar was denied ticket to fight the Fatehpur Assembly byelection last year. However, this time, he seems to be in no mood to reconcile. Fatehpur also witnessed a poster war today; several posters against Parmar and Baldev Thakur, who had contested the bypoll on BJP ticket.

In the Bhoranj segment of Hamirpur, former BJP MLA Anil Dhiman, son of former minister ID Dhiman, has criticised Kamlesh Kumari, sitting party MLA, for ignoring his area and supporters. There is speculation that five-time MLA Ravinder Ravi may revolt if the BJP fields Independent MLA Hoshiyar Singh from Dehra. In fact, Ravi met the Chief Minister in Delhi today.

CLP Leader Mukesh Agnihotri said, “It the mandate of the party central leadership to finalise the list candidates so everyone should reconcile and work unitedly for the victory of the Congress. Once the Congress forms government, all party men will be given positions.”

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