BJP leaders trying to placate party candidates upset over denial of tickets

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The BJP leadership in Himachal Pradesh is making efforts to mollify party leaders who are disgruntled over distribution of tickets to six Congress rebels for the assembly bypolls, former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said on Tuesday.

They (disgruntled leaders) will fall in line as the BJP is a cadre-based party, the senior BJP leader told PTI.

After announcement of tickets to all six Congress rebels for assembly bypolls, resentment was visible among BJP leaders who had lost the elections in 2022 to these Congress MLAs.

Most of them denied tickets are considered close to Dhumal.

Immediately after the announcement of tickets, senior party leaders, including former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, state party president, Rajiv Bindal and bypoll candidates Rajinder Rana and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal made a beeline to Dhumal's native village Samirpur to seek his blessings.

Ranjit Singh from Sujanpur, Maya Sharma from Barsar, former minister Varinder Kanwar from Kutlehar and Rajesh Thakur from Gagret were upset over denial of ticket.

Singh, who lost to Rajinder Rana by 399 votes in 2022 assembly polls, has decided to contest as an Independent.

The political scenario in Himachal changed after the defeat of ruling Congress candidates in Rajya Sabha election as nine legislators, including six Congress rebels and three independents, voted in favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan.

The disqualified Congress rebels -- Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chetanya Sharma (Gagret), Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, (Kutlehar) and Ravi Thakur (Lahaul and Spiti) -- were disqualified by the speaker for defying a whip to be present in the House and vote in favour of the government during the cut motion and budget.

Later these six rebels joined the BJP and were given tickets.

Since four assembly bypolls are slated in Hamirpur Parliamentary Constituency, the home turf of Dhumal's son and Union minister Anurag Thakur, the former chief minister is expected to play a pivotal role in the Lok Sabha and Assembly bypolls.

Dhumal, who was declared BJP's chief minister candidate in 2017, lost to Rajinder Rana and now has to support his arch rival, while Rana is expected to support Anurag Thakur.

On Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu's allegations that the Congress rebels have sold their souls, Dhumal said some of the rebels have already sent legal notice for defamation.

Asked whether grant of Rs 1,500 per month to women would help the Congress, Dhumal said the sum has been given only in Lahaul and Spiti district while the BJP has given 50 percent reservation in Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies and 33 per cent reservations in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

The BJP, he said, has fulfilled all its promises, including construction of Ram Temple and scrapped Article 370 which has made the army very happy, and it would greatly benefit the BJP as there are about 2.50 lakh ex-servicemen in the constituency.

Moreover, development and welfare schemes initiated for all sections of the society, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and failure of the state Congress to fulfil its guarantee, gives BJP an edge in the elections, Dhumal asserted.