Rampur: It's experience versus youth

Bhanu P Lohumi

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Increased input cost of apple, demand for 100 percent import duty on apple, bad condition of roads, vacancies of doctor and paramedical staff and the increasing drug abuse among the youth are the key issues in Rampur, considered to be the stronghold of the Congress.

Rampur

A triangular contest is on the cards in the Rampur (SC) constituency, bastion of the Congress being the home town of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, with both BJP and Congress facing factionalism and AAP making its debut.

The Congress has won all elections on this seat since 1982. MP Pratibha Singh secured a huge lead from this constituency for by-elections from the Mandi Parliamentary seat last year after the demise of Virbhadra Singh as sentiments of people for former CM is a significant factor in this seat.

However, resentment prevails against the three-time Congress MLA Nand Lal for not being active in the constituency in the past five years. However, Congress managed to convince rebel, former pradhan Brijeshwar Lal to withdraw his nomination. Nand Lal won the seat in 2007, 2012 and 2107 but the margin of victory is reduced with each election indicating that Congress is losing ground.

On the other hand, the youth face introduced into the fray by the BJP, Kaul Negi, former ABVP state president, is popular among the masses, especially women and youth, as he is visible in the field and is considered influential but carries the tag of the outsider.

A segment of public says that Negi took all benefits of tribal and is now contesting on SC seat. Prem Singh Daraik, who contested on BJP ticket in 2012 and 2017 and lost to Congress candidate Nand Lal in both the elections and was a ticket contender, had openly come out against Negi following which he was expelled from primary membership of the BJP for six years.

The Aam Aadmi Party making a debut in the Assembly has a membership of about 8,000 in Rampur but it also faces factionalism as Uday Singh Dogra has been given the ticket bypassing people associated with the party since the start.

The key issues are increased cost of production of apples, inapt handling of apple growers agitation by the state government, neglect in development, bad condition of roads which have not been metalled for the past one decade, vacancies in health and education departments and demand for a ground for cultural activities and International Lavi fair.