Kangra goes with winning party

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, December 8

Kangra once again kept the tradition that any party that performs well in the district wins Assembly elections in the state and forms government. The Congress won 10 out of total 15 seats in the results declared today.

The BJP, which had won 11 seats in Kangra in the previous elections, could secure only four seats this time. Independent candidate Hoshiyar Singh again won the Dehra seat by defeating his nearest rival Rajesh Sharma of the Congress by a margin of 3,877 votes. BJP candidate Ramesh Dhawala was third.

2 ministers lose

• Two sitting ministers lose
• Independent candidate Hoshiyar Singh retains Dehra seat
• GS Bali’s son wins Nagrota Bagwan seat

The BJP’s gamble of changing candidates in Nurpur and Kangra constituencies paid off as the party won both seats. BJP candidate Ranvir Singh Nikka won the Nurpur seat by defeating Kangra district Congress president Ajay Mahajan. Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania was the sitting MLA from the constituency.

BJP candidate Pawan Kajal won the Kangra seat by 16,714 votes despite opposition from party workers. He defeated Surender Kumar of the Congress. Kajal, sitting Kangra MLA and HPCC acting president, had joined the BJP before the elections.

Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania and Minister for Social Justice Sarveen Chaudhary lost the elections. Rakesh Pathania, who was shifted from Nurpur to Fatehpur, lost to Congress candidate Bhawani Singh Pathania by a margin of 7,354 votes. Sarveen Chaudhary lost to Congress candidate Kewal Singh Pathania in Shahpur by a margin of 12,243 votes.

The BJP’s decision to induct former Congress minister Vijai Singh Mankotia did not pay off in Shahpur. He used to contest as an Independent candidate from the seat. He did not fight elections this time and it was a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

RS Bali, AICC secretary, who contested from the Nagrota Bagwan seat for the first time, defeated BJP candidate Arun Kumar by a big margin of 15,892 votes. Arun was the sitting MLA from Nagrota Bagwan that RS Bali’s father late GS Bali had represented for long.

Industries Minister Bikram Thakur managed to retain his Jaswan Pragpur seat. He defeated Congress candidate Surinder Singh Mankotia.

Himachal Assembly Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar also managed to retain the Sullah seat.

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