BJP panel to visit Fatehpur, decide candidate for bypoll
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, June 21
A committee of BJP leaders, including Industry Minister and in-charge for the byelection Bikram Thakur, will visit the Fatehpur Assembly constituency on June 23. It will meet party workers and leaders to decide the candidate for the Fatehpur byelection.
Sources said that the ticket aspirants were planning to present a show of strength to impress the committee, which also comprises former BJP president Satpal Satti and Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania.
Kirpal Parmar, former Rajya Sabha member, is considered the frontrunner for the party ticket. Parmar had unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly election in 2017 and lost to Congress leader Sujjan Singh Pathania. He had polled 17,248 votes and lost to Sujjan Singh Pathania by just 1,744 votes.
Parmar’s supporters are claiming that he lost the 2017 Assembly elections with the lowest margin ever despite the damage done by BJP rebel Baldev Thakur, who contested the election as an Independent candidate. Baldev Thakur got 12,999 votes and was the major reason for Parmar’s defeat. However, Baldev later rejoined the BJP and is trying hard for the ticket.
The sources said that the fact that Baldev had contested the last Assembly elections against the official candidate may dim his chances of getting the ticket. However, some party leaders label Parmar as an outsider in the Fatehpur constituency. Parmar’s supporters counter the charge saying that even Baldev Thakur’s house is located in the Jawali Assembly constituency and not in Fatehpur.
It is a prestige issue for the BJP to win the Fatehpur Assembly byelection, as the party is facing anti-incumbency in Kangra district due a high Covid death rate, loss of jobs and unemployment and high prices of essential commodities and petrol and diesel. Besides, the party will also have to counter sympathy votes for the Congress due to the death of sitting MLA Sujjan Singh Pathania. The Congress is likely to field Sujjan’s son Bhavani Singh Pathania from Fatehpur.
Parmar frontrunner for BJP ticket
- Kirpal Parmar, former Rajya Sabha MP, is considered the frontrunner for the BJP ticket for the Fatehpur byelection
- The Congress is likely to field late MLA Sujjan Singh Pathania’s son Bhavani Singh Pathania from Fatehpur
- Ticket aspirants plan to put up a show of strength
