This time there is a close fight in Himachal Pradesh, in which both BJP and Congress are trying to make an edge. In an election where every seat counts, the focus is on a few prominent candidates who have decided to contest as independents.
Hiteshwar Singh (Banjar)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given ticket to Maheshwar Singh, who comes from the royal family of Kullu. Singh had previously won from the Himachal Lokhit Party, which later merged with the BJP. However, later, Maheshwar’s ticket was canceled when his son Hiteshwar decided to contest as an independent from Banjar, as the BJP refused to field him. Later, the party high command somehow managed to persuade Maheshwar not to let his son fight the battle. Eventually, the party dropped Maheshwar and gave ticket to Narottam Singh, a teacher. Hiteshwar contested as an independent against BJP’s Surinder Shourie and former BJP president Khimi Ram, who joined the Congress earlier this year.
Kripal Singh Parmar (Fatehpur)
Kirpal Singh Parmar was a grassroots BJP worker who started and rose through the ranks in the district and state units. Later, Parmar became a Rajya Sabha MP and was appointed as the vice-president of the state BJP. However, he was denied a ticket during the Fatehpur bypoll last year. At the end of this year, he resigned from his post, referring to the state leadership of the party. Baldev Thakur, who was later fielded in his place, lost to Bhawani Pathania of the Congress by over 5,800 votes. Ignored this time too, Parmar told locals in Fatehpur that he was not rewarded by the party for decades of service.
Gangu Ram Musafir and Dayal Pyari (Pachhad)
Pachhad constituency in Sirmaur, which is a seat reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, is witnessing a fight between two women. BJP’s sitting MLA Reena Kashyap faces Dayal Pairi, who was defeated last time as a BJP rebel. He contested the election this time on a Congress ticket. Senior BJP leader and urban development Suresh Kashyap hails from this area. Dayal Pyari was seen as the frontrunner of the BJP for the by-elections in 2019. She was denied ticket allegedly by Suresh Kashyap and CM Jai Ram Thakur’s camp because she belonged to former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal’s group. Indian Express/
Rebel Congress candidate Gangu Ram Musafir from Pachad is also contesting as an independent.
KL Thakur (Nalagarh)
After being denied a ticket from Nalgarh – from where he won on a BJP ticket – KL Thakur spoke about his decision to contest as an independent and asked people: “What is my fault?”. Thakur contested on a BJP ticket and won from Nalagarh.
Indu Verma (Theog)
With Indu joining the Congress in July, the party was expected to boost its prospects in Theog constituency as the family still has a support base in the region, however, Kuldeep Singh Rathore, former Haryana Congress chief, has been fielded for the ticket. By lobbying, he got a chance to contest elections. from the constituency.
Thereafter, the disappointment of not getting the ticket prompted Indu Verma to contest as an independent candidate. Vijay Pal Khachi, son of veteran Congress leader JBL Khachi, is also in the race. This constituency is being seen as a crucial one which will be a big blow for the Congress if it loses it.
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