To pacify rebels, BJP puts them on star campaigners’ list

AFTER WEEKLONG DELIBERATIONS, BJP HAD ALLOTED TICKETS A DAY BEFORE DIWALI, SOME LEADERS ARE UPSET OVER THE TICKET DISTRIBUTION

SHIMLA: At a time when many leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are yet to file the nomination papers, the party is battling hard to quell the rebellion on many seats. However, some leaders who were annoyed with the ticket distribution have figured in the star campaigners’ list.

The BJP’s list of 40 star campaigners has many leaders who were denied the party ticket. The OBC Cell leader Uttam Chaudhary, Ganesh Dutt from Shimla, Ram Singh from Kullu, Sandeepani Bhardwaj from Theog, and Surat Negi from Kinnaur have figured in the state campaigners’ list.

The BJP had distributed party tickets the day before Diwali, after week-long deliberations. In Shimla district, BJP is facing rebellion in Kasumpati and Shimla, while the workers are also annoyed in Shimla rural, where the party has fielded one-time Virbhadra Singh’s protégé Pramod Sharma, who joined BJP after the ticket was alloted to him.

In Shimla, the party reposed faith in three-time legislator Suresh Bhardwaj, while his detractors were demanding a change of ticket.

What went in favour of Bhardwaj was his victory in the previous election, when the party lost rest of the seven seats in Shimla district.

Now his detractors have decided to field two-time councillor Sanjeev Thakur, who wanted to become the deputy mayor in Shimla municipal corporation, but Bhardwaj favoured the candidature of Rakesh Sharma, who was a BJP rebel.

By bringing Sharma back under the party fold, the BJP succeeded to achieve a magic number. However, efforts were on to placate Thakur.

The party is facing rebellion on the neighbouring Kasumpati seat. The party has fielded Virbhadra Singh’s relative Vijay Jyoti Sen, wife of Vir Vikram Sen, who is a scion of the Junga royal family, thus annoying the ticket aspirant and the party workers.

Prem Thakur, who was a BJP nominee in 2012 and had secured over 7,000 votes, has decided to file nomination papers as an independent candidate.

“Bringing in candidates, who had contested against us, is not in the party’s interest,” Thakur said. Vijay Jyoti Sen had secured over 6,000 votes as an independent candidate against Congress’ Anirudh Singh, the scion of Koti royal family. Earlier, the BJP Kasumpati unit was also against the decision.

In Solan assembly segment, the party has decided to field Rajesh Kashyap, who is the brother of sitting MP Virender Kashyap. Kashyap entered the ticket fray at a time when Kumari Sheela was the front runner for it. After the decision to field Kashyap, Sheela has decided to contest independently.

The party is facing rebellion in Renuka assembly segment at Sirmaur and Banjar in Kullu district.

The BJP has fielded Balbir Chauhan from Renuka assembly segment. Annoyed with the decision, former legislator Hirda Ram is contesting independently.

In Banjar, former minister and former state president Khimi Ram has threatened to contest independently as the party has fielded Khadagad ward zila parishad member Surender Shauri. Shauri has the backing of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers.