Strengthening party an uphill task for Kashyap

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 23

Eyeing the 2022 Assembly elections in the state, the BJP has made a strategic move to kill many birds with one stone by opting for Suresh Kashyap, who is an ex-serviceman, hailing from the SC community with potential to sway the youth and represents Shimla parliamentary constituency.

The decision has created another power centre and clipping the wings of senior party leader Dr Rajiv Bindal, who had emerged as unchallenged leader of the party in Sirmaur and Solan districts, cannot be ruled out.

Kashyap, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 elections from Shimla (reserved) parliamentary constituency, has a tough task at hand of strengthening the party in Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Kinnaur. The BJP had swept the 2017 assembly polls but its performance was not as good in these districts as the BJP has only eight out of 18 MLAs in these four districts.

There are a large number of ex-servicemen in the state and 17 out of 68 constituencies are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Kashyap can prove to be a trump card in wooing these segments besides striking chord with youth.

Senior party leader, Dr Rajiv Bindal, a five-time MLA, had made deep inroads in Solan district but he had to shift to Nahan in Sirmaur district after his Solan constituency was reserved in 2012. His organisational skills and growing clout was becoming a cause of worry for many senior leaders.

The unceremonious exit of Bindal from the post of state BJP chief in the wake PPE kits scam was a major blow for Bindal even though he maintained that he had resigned on moral grounds. However, his loyalists were confident that he would stage a comeback and be given important responsibility.

A low-profile and soft-spoken politician, Kashyap has risen from grassroots as Block Development Committee member and joined the BJP in 2006. He is the first party chief from the SC community and the 15th state president of the BJP.

He sprang a surprise by defeating seven-time Congress MLA from Pachhad Gangu Ram Musafir in 2012 assembly elections and retained his seat in 2017. He was picked as party candidate for Lok Sabha polls from Shimla in 2019 and won with huge margin of over 3.27 lakh votes.

Two-time MLA

Suresh Kashyap (49) joined BJP in 2006

Started as Block Development Committee member

Defeated seven-time Congress MLA Gangu Ram Musafir from Pachhad in 2012 for Assembly seat

Retained Pachhad assembly seat in 2017

Won Shimla Lok Sabha seat with huge a margin of over 3.27 lakh votes in 2019

Served IAF too

The MP is a postgraduate and MPhil in Public Administration

Served the Indian Air Force from 1998 to 2004

He is member of Lok Sabha Standing Committee on

Personnel, Public Grievances

Member, Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House

Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Food

Processing Industries