Himachal assembly by-polls: Denied ticket, disgruntled leaders may spoil BJP chances

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 14

Chetan Bragta contesting the Jubbal-Kotkhai byelection as an Independent candidate and other leaders, who had staked their claims to the ticket for the Fatehpur and Arki Assembly byelections, refusing to campaign for the BJP candidates are giving anxious moments to the party.

Kripal Parmar, a former Rajya Sabha MP, who was the front-runner for the BJP ticket for the Fatehpur byelection in Kangra, has stayed away from campaigning. Having spent four years extensively in the constituency, he has a considerable following and can damage the prospects of BJP candidate Baldev Thakur.

Parmar, who is close to national BJP president JP Nadda, was denied the ticket on the ground that he does not belong to the constituency. In the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress candidate Sujan Singh Pathania had defeated him by a margin of mere 1,284 votes in Fatehpur.

The Fatehpur seat fell vacant following Sujan Singh Pathania’s death and his son and Congress candidate Bhawani Singh Pathania is bound to get sympathy votes and also benefit from dissension in the BJP. What is even more worrisome for the BJP is that its block unit in Fatehpur, which was supporting Parmar, has so far not campaigned for Baldev Thakur.

The situation in the Arki segment of Solan district is no better, as two-time BJP legislator Govind Ram, who was denied the ticket, has refused to campaign for party candidate Rattan Pal Singh. He even did not oblige Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who visited his house to placate him.

The BJP had denied ticket to Govind even in the 2017 Assembly elections though he was then the sitting MLA. Party candidate Rattan Pal lost to Virbhadra Singh, who had shifted to Arki, by a margin of 6,051 votes.

Another contender for the ticket in Arki, Asha Parihar, a Zila Parishad member, has also refused to campaign for Rattan Pal. “There is possibility that both Govind and Asha may ask their supporters not to support Rattan Pal,” says a party MLA.

Though both Govind and Asha are not contesting the Arki byelection as Independent candidates, it is clear that they and their supporters will not work wholeheartedly for Rattan Pal, giving an advantage to Congress candidate Sanjay Awasthy.

Chetan Bragta’s presence in the fray in Jubbal-Kotkhai is giving trouble to the BJP and a clear edge to Congress candidate Rohit Thakur.