BJP stakes high in Mandi

Both BJP and Congress are likely to adopt a wait-and-watch policy before declaring their candidates for Mandi. With stakes being high for the BJP, the ruling party is likely to wait who the Congress fields. The frontrunners for the Congress ticket include Pratibha Singh, former MP, and Ashray Sharma, son of former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram. The candidates will file their nominations during the auspicious Navratras starting from October 7.

Not willing to contest

The names of two ministers are doing the rounds for being fielded for the Mandi bypoll. Both Irrigation and Public Health Minister Mahender Singh and Education Minister Govind Thakur are rather reluctant to take on the Congress though victory is almost assured. “Ensuring victory in the Mandi Lok Sabha bypoll is the CM’s headache as it is his home turf and his reputation will be at stake,” said a senior leader. However, the irony is that the ministers do not want to contest.

Backstabbing by leaders

The absence of prominent Congress leaders from a district-level protest organised by the Congress in Dharamsala last week embarrassed the senior leadership. When asked about their absence, senior Congress leaders said they could not come due to their personal reasons. However, in private, they talked of backstabbing by some leaders on various occasions.

Wooing bigwigs for ticket

Ticket aspirants are making all-out efforts to secure the favour of the poll panels of their parties at Arki. While those assured of a ticket are quietly waiting for the announcement, others are desperate to keep themselves in the reckoning by holding media briefs, highlighting why they are apt for the job. A few others have managed a favourable word from their block-level committees, little realising that these tactics fail to win any brownie point. A former MLA, who has a bleak chance of getting party ticket, has even announced his date of filing nomination. The happenings have left the common man amused as aspirants try to outdo each other in the race for ticket.