Expecting win, BJP supporters ready for victory marches

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, May 22

With the exit polls predicting results in favour of the BJP, party workers were today seen making preparations for victory processions on Thursday.

Votes will be counted at five centres in Kangra district — Kangra, Jwalamukhi, Nurpur, Palampur and Dharamsala.

Confident of their victory, the BJP leaders are now discussing who could secure more lead. Many party MLAs from Kangra have had toiled hard for the same.

Nurpur MLA Rakesh Pathania, who is eyeing the ministerial berth to be vacated if Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Kishan Kapoor won the elections, is expecting a handsome lead for his party from Nurpur.

On the other hand, if the Congress lost the elections, blame game was expected to start.

The candidature of Pawan Kajal was pushed by former minister and AICC secretary Sudhir Sharma and the Virbhadra Singh camp. Kajal was made the party candidate on the plea that the OBC vote bank would polarise in his favour. Kajal managed the entire poll campaign single-handedly and none of the senior Congress leaders came to his aid.

Lobbying has also started for the bypoll in the Dharamsala constituency that is currently represented by Kishan Kapoor.

Many BJP leaders are showing interest in contesting the by-elections as they feel it is easier to win an Assembly bypoll.

And if the situation arose for the same, former minister Sudhir Sharma is likely to be the Congress candidate. Sources said he had already started making preparations.

Nurpur MLA eyes ministerial berth

• Nurpur MLA Rakesh Pathania, who is eyeing the ministerial berth to be vacated if Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Kishan Kapoor won the elections, is expecting a handsome lead for his party from Nurpur. 
• Lobbying has also started for the bypoll in the Dharamsala constituency that is currently represented by Kishan Kapoor. Many BJP leaders are showing interest in contesting the byelections as they feel it is easier to win an Assembly bypoll.