Revolt in Dharamsala BJP over ticket allotment

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, October 19

There was a revolt in Dharamsala BJP unit after the party gave ticket to Rakesh Chaudhary from the Assembly constituency today morning. Rakesh Chaudhary had contested as an Independent in the 2019 Dharamsala byelections and got about 16,400 votes. He had initially joined AAP and in June, he joined the BJP.

BJP workers gathered at the block party office and raised slogans. They urged the party leadership to change the candidate. The said that they would not accept any outsider as candidate.

District president of the BJP ST Morcha Vipin Nehria led the protest. He said that the party workers of Dharamsala had strong objection to ticket allotment to Chaudhary. “If the party wanted to change the sitting MLA, Vishal Nehria, someone from among party workers in Dharamsala should have be given the ticket,” he said.

Vipin said if the party did not change the candidate, he would file his nomination papers as an Independent on October 21.

Sources said that the Gaddi community, which has been dominating the BJP in Dharamsala since 1985, was sore at the party giving ticket to Rakesh Chaudhary, an OBC leader. Vipin Nehria has a tacit support from most of Gaddi leaders of Dharamsala if he fights elections as Independent.