Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh faced rebellion in Pachhad Vidhan Sabha seat where two of it’s members jumped into poll fray after being denied ticket from the segment, even as greenhorn Reena Kashyap filed nomination in presence of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday.
Defying party’s decision to cede candidature in the constituency to Kashyap, former Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist Ashish Sikta and Zila Parishad member Dayal Pyari filed papers as independents.
Both Sikta and Pyari names figured in list of panel forwarded by the core committee of Himachal BJP to the high command. The duo hail from Rajgarh region.
Anticipating rebellion, the BJP had appointed two of its senior leaders—irrigation and public health minister Mahender Singh Thakur and education minister Suresh Bhardwaj—to pacify the defiant leaders soon after the announcement of tickets on Saturday.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur himself made several frantic calls to the two leaders, urging them to steer clear from the poll fray in party’s interest.
BJP METED OUT INJUSTICE TO ME: PYARI
BJP’s student wing ABVP had strongly vied for the ticket for Sikta, who also remained the state secretary of the student organisation for long while Pyari was considered as one of the top contender till few months back.
She fell off with local leader Baldev Bhandhari and had filed a complaint against him, later withdrawn, for pushing her on the stage in the presence of the chief minister.
“I was like goddess durga but have now turned into goddess kaali,” said she after filing her nomination as an independent. “The party has meted out injustice to me. I had served the BJP dedicatedly for years. I am seeking justice from Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the teary-eyed leader said.
“I had also sought intervention of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur but he declined my request. Locals are supporting me in this battle,” she added.
On the other hand, Sikta recalled his college days and talked about his association with the party since then.
“I stood by the party through thick and thin,” he said. “It is not about justice or injustice but the whole decision to allot ticket is arbitrary,” he added.
RAIN PLAYS SPOILSPORT
Meanwhile, the BJP has fielded former Sirmour Zila Parishad member Reena Kashyap from Pachhad constituency while the Congress has pitted Gangu Ram Musafir against her.
The 37-year-old Kashyap, who hails from backward trans-Giri region of Sirmaur district, was accompanied by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and Lok Sabha member Suresh Kashyap while local leaders, including BJP state vice-president Chander Mohan Thakur and Baldev Bhandari were also present.
The saffron party had planned to put up a show of strength to mark nomination filing but the proposed plan was dampened by continuous rain. The chief minister who was to fly by chopper to Rajgarh from Shimla and later to Dharamshala for nomination filing of BJP candidate Vishal Neharia, had to travel by road.
The usual dias was replaced by a pickup van, fitted with loud speaker, from where the chief minister addressed a small gathering. The turnout remained low due to rain.
Kashyap, the co-convener of state BJP Mahila Morcha, is up against veteran Congress leader Musafir, who has a record of the seven straight wins in the Vidhan Sabha. The leader filed papers from Rajgarh on Monday and was accompanied by state party chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore among other leaders.
The 72-year-old won his first election in 1982 as an independent candidate. He got re-elected on Congress ticket in 1985, 1990, 1993, 1999 and 2003 and 2007. He served as speaker of Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha from 2003-2008. In 2012 assembly election, Musafir suffered a defeat at the hands of BJP’s Suresh Kumar Kashyap. He contested the 2017 election but was defeated again by him. He is considered to a staunch loyalist of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh.
