-HP Assemby polls: BJP drops 10 MLAs,
The Himachal Herald, Shimla
The BJP has played a gamble as it dropped 10 of its MLAs and changed the constituencies of two ministers to combat anti-incumbency even as the threat of rebellion loomed large with resentment brewing among aspirants who have been denied the ticket. The Congress, while taking the lead in finalising ticket for 46 of the 68 Assembly seats, has fielded all its 20 MLAs, barring Jagat Singh Negi, who represents the Kinnaur seat. A decision on the Kinnaur seat is pending as State Youth Congress president Nigam Bhandari has staked claim for the ticket. The decision on 22 seats is still pending and the final list is expected to be issued earlier.
There are 21 new faces in the BJP final list of candidates that was released today for the November 12 elections to the 68-member Vidhan Sabha. Among the new faces are Rakesh Chaudhary (Dharamsala), Sanjay Sood (Shimla Urban), Ravi Mehta (Shimla Rural), Trilok Kapoor (Palampur), Trilok Jamwal (Bilaspur), Sanjay Guleria (Jawali), Ajay Shyam (Theog), Narayan Singh (Sri Renukaji), Dr Janak Raj (Bharmour), Capt Ranjit Singh (retd) (Sujanpur), Dilip Thakur (Sarkaghat), Rajat Thakur (Dharampur), Puran Chand Thakur (Darang), Deepraj Kapoor (Karsog), Lokendra Kumar (Anni), Ranvir Singh Nikka (Nurpur), Koul Negi (Rampur) and Maya Sharma (Badsar) seat.
Cabinet Ministers Suresh Bhardwaj and Rakesh Pathania have been shifted from Shimla Urban and Nurpur to Kasumpti and Fatehpur to accommodate Sanjay Sood (a tea seller) and Ranvir Singh (Nikka). Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh has opted out in favour of his son Rajat Thakur from Dharampur in Mandi. The dropped MLAs are Kamlesh Kumari (Bhoranj, Hamirpur), Jia Lal Singh (Bharmour), Pawan Nayyar (Chamba), Kishori Lal (Anni, Kullu), Subhash Thakur (Bilaspur Sadar); Jawahar Thakur (Darang), Col Inder Singh (retd) (Sarkaghat) and Hira Lal (Karsog), all seats in Mandi district; Vishal Nehria (Dharamsala) and Arjun Singh (Jawali, Kangra).
Prakash Rana managed to beat former BJP minister Gulab Singh Thakur, father-in-law of Union Minister Anurag Thakur, in the ticket race while Hoshiyar Singh is competing against five-term BJP MLA Ravinder Singh Ravi, a staunch loyalist of ex-CM Prem Kumar Dhumal.
Five women, including minister Sarveen Choudhary (Shahpur), Indira Kapoor (Chamba), Reeta Dhiman (Indora), Reena Kashyap (Pachhad) and Shashi Bala (Rohru), have been included in the list. Eleven ticket have been given to Schedule Caste nominees and eight to Schedule Tribe and Other Backward Class candidates.
Anil Sharma, a former minister and the son of ex-Union Minister Sukh Ram who was sidelined after his son Aashray Sharma contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls on the Congress ticket, has been named from Mandi Sadar. Chetan Bragta, son of former BJP minister Narinder Bragta who was expelled after he unsuccessfully contested the Assembly by-election from Jubbal-Kotkhai as an Independent and was readmitted into the party recently, has also been given the ticket. Govind Ram Sharma, two-time MLA from Arki who was denied the ticket in 2017, has staged a comeback from Arki.
As colour can’t lose its ability to give colour after being broken several times. Similarly, I also can’t unlearn the art of spreading love and smile, after being broken, several times by my life !
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